What Lies Among Us
by Mr.ANBUninja
Summary: His first day of Ninja Academy started off rough, but quickly changed when he met Himawari. Four years later, they are enjoying their last few days of the academy. What will life hold for them as they become full fledged Konoha nin. Rated T for now, may be changed at a later date!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Wanna know what happens when you're on your laptop and not your main desktop where you do most of your typing on your other stories? You get bored and start typing new stories.

Incase your wondering, I will be using the characters from my other story New Horizons. Just thought I'd throw that one in there so people didn't get confused. Anyway, hope you like it!

 **What Lies Among Us**

 **Prologue**

Konoha, one of the greatest villages known in the shinobi world. Producing ninja that rival no other, they are often referred to as a super power. Though lately, no military force has had to be flexed, except for your regular missions and dealing with bandits.

Life goes on as normal in Konoha, it has since the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Though things are still relatively quiet, the Ninja Academy is in full swing. Today is a special day, today is the day that the first years are introduced to the sensei they will be learning under for the next 4 years.

Enter, Asato Yuki, today is his first day of Ninja Academy, though he wasn't worried about that at all. You see his parents were involved in a freak accident a month ago, though his father died instantly in the blast, his mother fought on. Unfortunately she didn't make it through the night, leaving Yuki's older sister Miyabi to take care of them both.

Even with Miyabi taking care of him, he still felt alone. Miyabi herself was always out on missions, only home for a day or so then gone for another 3-5. Yuki felt alone all of the time, and today felt no different.

Miyabi had wanted to stay and wait for Yuki to go into the school, but that would make her late for her mission. She walked him to the grounds after she had woken him up, made sure he was dressed, and that he ate. She wished him luck, said a prayer with him, and left.

Now, a full half hour before the school begins, Yuki is sitting alone, in a swing, silently sulking, wishing he was back at home. It isn't that he doesn't want to be a ninja, he still hasn't gotten over the death of his parents. It's just going to make it worse when all the kids parents come to pick him them up after school and he has to walk home alone.

Then without warning, a hard shove propels him from the swing, landing face first into the dirt below. As he tries to lift himself up he can hear snickering.

"What's the matter, Gaki? Get dirt in your eye?" came a voice.

Yuki pushes himself up off the ground and starts to stand up, still not able to see the person who pushed him from the swing. Though as he stands, a foot catches him squarely in the back and sends him back down.

"Can't get up, Gaki? Just found your way out of the crib?" came a new voice, then a trio started to laugh.

Yuki rolls over onto his back, trying to fight back the tears from where he had just been kicked. Though it hurt, his sister taught him never to show weakness, and ignore the pain.

"Leave me alone!" he shouted as he stumbled to his feet, now facing the three.

The boy up front, an Inuzuka, plain as day. The tell-tale jacket he wore with the Inuzuka clan insignia on it was a dead giveaway, not to mention he smelled strongly of dog. His dark brown hair a mess, and his pants covered in dirt.

The boy to his right, was definitely a Hyuuga. His pale eye's giving him away, though one would have thought he was the leader of the three. He himself intimidated Yuki more than the Inuzuka did. His crème colored shirt and blue pants were neat and pressed. His black hair brushed, unlike the dog boy.

The next kid, Yuki new nothing about, his white hair was spiked and he wore something that resembled a black battle suit.

The Inuzuka closes the distance between him and Yuki in the blink of an eye, grabbing Yuki's collar and lifting him into the air.

"Look Gaki, if you know what's good for you, you'll leave. This is our spot, and I don't want you forgetting that." Said the Inuzuka.

"You first years are in for a world of hurt when it comes to us." The Hyuuga spat.

The other kid just grinned.

"Let him go dog breath!" came a new voice, a girl's voice.

"Dog breath…" the boy repeated as he turned his head to see a girl standing a few feet away.

She had on a light pink top, a mid length white dress with dark blue pants underneath. Her black hair had a blue tint to it, yet it was cut short and spiked at the sides, and her eye's whereas blue as the ocean.

"What did you just call me girl?" the boy demanded as he drops Yuki in a heap and turns his full attention to the girl.

"I called you dog breath, dog breath. It's not nice to pick on someone younger then you!" she said, authority in her voice.

"And just who are you, girlie?" asked the Inuzuka, but the Hyuuga already knew.

"Hey, Koji, you know who that is right?" spoke the Hyuuga as he put a hand on the now named Koji's shoulder.

"Why the hell would I care?" Koji spat.

"That's Uzumaki Himawari, the daughter of the Hokage and Uzumaki Hinata, the former heiress to the Hyuuga clan."

This made Koji grin. "Ah, this little girl's been protected all her life then."

Koji starts cracking his knuckles as he makes his way over to the girl. Nearing her, he pulls his fist back and prepares to punch her.

"I wouldn't do that." She calmly says.

"Or what?" he demands.

Himawari says nothing, though her eye's change. Turning pale from the blue color they were, her pupil also disappearing, not to mention the veins around her eye's becoming more defined.

This makes Koji pause, he begins to second guess what he is about to do. Though pride gets in the way, he releases his fist.

What happened next was too fast for either of them to see. One second Koji is standing in front of Himawari, the next he's falling to the ground with Himawari standing behind him in what looks like a fighting stance to Yuki.

Himawari turns her attention to the Hyuuga and the other boy. "Anyone else want to make a bad decision?"

The two boys immediately turn and run, even the Inuzuka manages to get up and limp away in the opposite direction.

Yuki still lays in the dirt, mostly because his pride is hurt. Though he is unsure what the girl is going to do next.

Turning her attention now to Yuki, the girl walks over to him and holds out her hand. Reluctant, Yuki takes it.

Now on his feet with the girls help, Yuki bows. "Thank you." Is all he managed to get out.

The girl returns his bow with a nod and a smile. "You're welcome, I'm Himawari by the way, but you can call me Hima."

"I'm Asato Yuki…" he mutters.

Hima smiles, nice to meet you Yuki. Sorry for what happened earlier." She said, looking into Yuki's eyes.

"I'll be fine, thanks though." He said, trying not to sound hurt and trying avoid eye contact with her.

"Say what class are you in?" she wonders, trying to figure out if they share the same class.

"Class 5, I'm a first year student." he says, now he himself wondering if Hima is in the same class as him.

The girl smiles wide, "Me too!" she says almost shrieks. "Hey, wanna walk to class together, Yuki?"

Yuki blushes a bit, its just his first day in the Academy and a girl already wants to walk to class with him. Though he also was on the verge of getting beat up on his first day too, what else could possibly go wrong.

"Yea, that sounds cool." He says, now smiling a bit.

With Hima leading the way now, Yuki followers her from the swings and up to the academy door. Hima pushes the doors open wide, and they both disappear inside as the door closes behind them.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The End of Fourth Year**

It had been a long and hard four years for Yuki. Though, determination paid off since he was second in his class, falling only behind his close friend Hima. Though both of them were way ahead of the class both academically and physically.

This due in part by their constant sparing, it was hard to believe that very few people could counter the Jyūken, but Yuki managed to do it. Though he wasn't successful everytime, he still had days he could counter Hima's attacks.

Hima herself had grown to be a girl that no one picked on, or messed with any of her friends as a matter of fact. Her older brother Boruto taught her how to handle situations without resorting to using her Byakugan or Jyūken. Though Yuki would rather prefer the Jyūken for quicker results.

The day had been fairly uneventful, having taken their writing portion of their final exam, then immediately taking the practical. Making 3 clones was about the easiest thing Yuki could do, though through his training with Hima he could do so much more. The next step for them, was being paired into squads.

Miyabi had assured him that he and Hima would be in a squad together, since Konoha liked to place the dead last each year on the team with the top two students. Mostly to balance out the squad power ranking, and to help the lesser skilled member gain the skills needed.

Right now, Yuki was in his own little world again, while the other students were finishing their exams, he was spacing out. What seemed like an eternity passed him by, not that he cared, having them sit there and wait for the others to finish after being handed their Hitai-ate was the driving factor of his boredom.

Finally, after a while of him staring off into space, a hand appeared in his vision and snapped a few times.

"You're not dead are you?" he could hear Hima asking. "You've been in that same position for an hour, and I don't think you've blinked any." Now she was making fun of him.

"Look now Whiskers…" he teased. Knowing Hima didn't like anyone making fun of her "whiskers". It was known fact that since her father held the Kyuubi inside of him that through birth Hima had gained some of the powers also, this included having "whiskers" which were just black lines across both sides of her face, needless to say they looked like whiskers.

Hima fumed at this and suppressed the urge to slap Yuki on the back of the head. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Pretend all you want Whiskers." Yuki said with a grin on his face, preparing for what was about to happen next, though he wasn't prepared for how hard it was going to be.

Hima slapped Yuki over the back of the head, so hard in fact it made Yuki's head hit the desk he was sitting at, putting a noticeable crack in its surface.

Yuki shot up and started rubbing his head where he hit, amazed it hadn't split the skin open. "What the hell was that for!?" he yelled.

Hima simply sat there and grinned. "Now maybe you'll drop that stupid nickname. Anyway, the rest of the class left ten minutes ago…"

Yuki looked around at the empty room, they were infact the last two there. "Oh…" he said lowly.

Fast forward 20 minutes, Yuki and Hima are walking on a side street, afternoon breeze blowing by them. They get the occasional bow from passersby, due to the fact that Hima is the daughter of the current Hokage. Though Yuki never really figured out why they bowed to him also, Hima suggested at one point that many people think of him as Hima's protector. Though Yuki knows it's completely the opposite.

"So what do you wanna do today?" asks Hima. "Isn't your sister out on a mission?"

Yuki nods, "Yea, so I'm alone again tonight it seems."

"You could come over tonight, I'm sure mother and father won't mind you being there for dinner." She suggests.

"Yea, that'll be cool. I need a good meal anyway." He says with a slight smile.

"Don't you think it's time for you to start cooking for yourself instead of having ramen every other night?" Hima asks, concerned a bit about Yuki's health.

"Why do I need to do that when I can come to your house and eat when I want to?" he said with a sly grin creeping across his face.

Hima stares at him for a moment with a blank stare, then turns her head. "Baka Yuki!"

Without warning, someone ran into Yuki full force, though Yuki's reflexes kicked in. He planted his foot down to keep him from falling and shifted his weight. This was enough to make him turn and see who had hit him. Fleeing from him, was a girl about his age, long blond hair and wearing a white dress. Seconds later two Konoha chuunin rush past him chasing after the girl.

"What the hell was that?" wondered Yuki, turning his head to look at Hima, who he saw was beet red. HE looked down to see the scabbard of the katana he had tied to his side had pressed itself against Hima's rear when he had been turned around.

"Yuki…" Hima started in a very deep voice.

Yuki jumps away, knowing he was about to receive the hardest hit of his life. "Hima…it…it was an accident!" he shouts while he holds his hands up.

She closes the gap, landing a punch right to Yuki's face. The hit was so hard it echo'ed throughout the street.

Yuki lay in a crumpled heap among two trashcans, having been propelled back by the force of the hit. His face was throbbing, and he was pretty sure his nose was broken.

As he opens his eye's to focus, he see's Hima's hand held out to him. "Come on Baka, let's get going."

* * *

The bane of his existence, infact, it was the bane of any kage's existence. Mountains of paperwork lined his desk. He hadn't known what a migraine was when he was growing up, but he sure found out when he took the job of being the Hokage.

He sighed, hoping something would happen to give him just a few moments away from the task of signing off on all of these reports. Though as luck would have it, he was about to get his wish.

There was a loud knock at his door. "FINALLY," he shouted. "Come in."

A older woman enters the room, her black hair mixing in with a few white hairs. She wore a purple robe like dress. "Naruto, there's someone here to see you. They say it regards the girl from yesterday."

Naruto sighed, knowing what it was going to be about, now suddenly he'd rather be doing paperwork.

"Fine, send them in."


	2. Chapter 2: Evening Storm

**Chapter 2: Evening Storm**

Evening had set upon Konoha, the setting sun casting an orange glow in the sky as street lights began to flicker on. The shops closing, with the exception of a few bars that would remain open till the early morning hours.

Yuki was sitting in a chair in Hima's room while she herself laid on her bed. Dinner had been uneventful, though Yuki was still trying to understand the fact that Hima's father thought they were a couple. This made them both blush, and earned Naruto a slap on the head from Hima's mother Hinata. There was one person missing though, Boruto, her brother, was out on a mission.

What seemed like hours had passed now since Yuki had sat down in the chair, though he had a book in his hand, he only stared at it. His mind had begun to race around the fact that he was soon to be sent on missions that he may never return from.

"You know, it's easy to tell when you space out like that Yuki." Said Hima.

Yuki snapped out of it and looked over to where she lay on the bed. She was laying in the same spot, only now her head was turned towards him. "Sorry, I just got a lot on my mind…"

"You always have a lot on your mind, Yuki, but you never share your thoughts with anyone. I'm the closest person to you other than your sister, why don't you talk to me about what you're thinking? It'll take a load off of your chest." She said as she turned onto her stomach, facing Yuki.

"It's just…" Yuki hesitates. He never opened up to anyone about what troubled him, he usually just suppressed it.

"It's just what, Yuki?" Hima asks, a hint or worry in her voice now.

"I…I just don't want to end up another causality is all. I mean, I know we both trained hard, but what if it wasn't enough, you know? What if one of us ends up hurt…or worse…" he trailed off.

"Are you saying you're scared to lose me?" Hima suggests with a grin.

Yuki merely looks up at her, staring into her eye's, this give's Hima her answer.

"I knew it," she said with a wide smile. A second later she was sitting upright on the edge of the bed. "Well, to be truthful, I don't know what I'd do without you, Yuki. I mean we have been almost inseparable since our first year, training together, spending our free time together. Sometimes," she paused, now Yuki could see her blushing just a bit. "Sometimes I worry when you're not with me."

 _Is she confessing to me?_ Yuki thought. He liked Hima too, maybe even more then liked, but he never knew how she felt about him.

"Deep down inside Yuki, I want to be by your side forever." She said, staring into Yuki's eyes. Yuki's thoughts were confirmed, she was confessing to him.

"Hima…" he muttered.

"I just hope you feel the same about me. I'd be devastated if something were to happen to you or you left me." Now she was really blushing.

"I never knew you felt that way about me." Yuki finally said after a few seconds.

"Of course I did, baka. I just never knew how to put it into words, besides…..I never knew your feelings for me either…."

Just then a bright light fills the room, followed by a house shaking boom. IT takes Yuki's eye's a second to re-adjust, but when they do, he sees a large hump under the blanket on Hima's bed where she had at before.

"Still afraid of thunder I see." Yuki said with a smirk.

"SHUTUP BAKA!" she yelled from under blanket. "If Kami-sama didn't want anyone to be scared of thunder then he'd give warning before it happened."

"He did, Hima, it's called lightning." He poked fun at her, knowing this would be enough to make her come from under the blanket.

"BAKA YUKI!" she shouted as she shot from under the blankets right at him.

"Shit…" was all he could manage to get out before she collided with him, sending them both over backwards in the chair.

Now laying on the floor with a heap, it takes him a second to focus again. Hima is lying ontop of him glaring, though her expression quickly softens, then she begins to lean towards Yuki's face.

Yuki only looks on as Hima presses her lips to his. What feels like eternity passes him, he can literally feel himself blushing, his heart feels like it's about to jump from his chest. Then, another loud crack of thunder.

This time Hima yelps, breaking the kiss and burying her face in Yuki's chest. "Why has Kami-sama forsaken me?!" she shouts, though it is partly muffled by Yuki's shirt.

A moment passes, Hima looks up. Jumps to her feet, and dives under her blanket again, leaving Yuki on the floor.

He stands up, rights the chair, and then sits on the edge of the bed next to the lump under the blanket that is Hima.

Another loud crack, yet again another yelp from Hima, this time the bed starts to shake as Hima is quivering under the blankets. This makes Yuki smile, as he has a new idea of how to calm Hima down.

He grabs the edge of the blanket and throws it off of her, he grabs onto her shoulders and pulls her to him, then he falls back onto the bed, resting his head on her pillows and her head to his chest. With his free hand he throws the blanket back over them, leaving only their heads uncovered.

This makes Hima blush, but her fear of lightning and thunder quickly takes over her blush and she is hiding her face in Yuki's chest. Though she is more calm now then she was before, Yuki cans till feel her quivering just a bit.

"Speak of this to anyone, and I'll bury you myself…" she says, spiking her killer intent just a bit so Yuki will notice it.

"You wouldn't hurt the guy you just kissed, would you?" he teased.

"Without a doubt…"

When the thunder cracked this time, Hima didn't yelp, nor did she quiver. This time she was as calm as she could be, though her head was still buried into Yuki's chest. He simply laid his head back onto the pillows and looked up at the ceiling.

Yuki can hear rain hitting the window now, softly at first but picks up force quickly. One of Konoha's famous night time thunderstorms was raging outside in a glorious fashion, only fools would be outside in this soaking downpour.

Moments later, Yuki looks down to see Hima's eye's closed, breathing softly, but with a hand clutching a handful of his shirt. Smiling he leans his neck down and kisses her forehead before laying his head down on the pillows once more and closing his eyes.

* * *

Two rooms apart, she looks at the wall with her Byakugan activated, simply smiling. Her husband laying on the bed, peering over the book he was reading. Confused look on his face as he tried to figure out why she was smiling.

"So how is she?" Naruto asks, returning his attention to the book.

"Sleeping soundly, a first for the girl who is terrified of storms." Hinata said in a cheerful tone.

This causes Naruto to drop the book and stare at Hinata in amazement. "Is that even possible?"

Hinata nods, then turns to Naruto as she deactivates her Byakugan. "Yuki managed to coax her into a peaceful sleep. She hasn't even twitched the last few rumbles of thunder." She wasn't going to mention the kiss Hima landed on Yuki. It made her heart leap knowing that her daughter was making her feelings known to the one she cared most about.

"Well," he started as he picked the book up again. "That's a first."

Hinata moved over in the bed to lay next to Naruto, leaning her head to his shoulder. "It's good for Yuki too, you know how withdrawn he can be. Even if he isn't our child, I still worry about him myself."

"I don't think it's possible at all for him to open up anymore then he already has Hina." He said dully.

She grins, "I wouldn't say that."

Naruto's head shoots up and he looks at Hinata with a serious expression. "What's that supposed to mean? What are they doing in there?" He starts to get out of the bed but Hinata grabs his hand and stops him. "Hinata, what are they doing?"

"Sleeping Naruto, just sleeping." She says trying to calm him down.

"No, there's something else going o.." he started but Hinata stopped him by pressing a finger to his lips.

"I give you my word, they are only sleeping. I said that because he is finally returning his feelings for Hima," she looks up at him. "Something someone was oblivious to for a long time before we started dating."

Naruto looked away, face turning red. Hinata laughed at this, lifted her head up and kissed his cheek. "It's ok though, I still love you, and I always will."

"And I love you too Hina." He says. He closes the book and sets it on the night stand next to the bed and turns the light off. Fixing his position in the bed, he throws the covers over him and Hinata as she snuggles up to him. Both drifting off to sleep moments later.

* * *

Morning finally arrived, the sun rising slowly into the sky and burning off any lingering clouds from last nights storm. Birds began to chirp and squirrels began their morning hunt for food, all while the village was slowly starting its day.

Sunlight started to creep into the room, finding Hima first. She winced at the light, but nothing more. Moments later, sunlight gleaming on his face, Yuki begins to stir. He stretches his legs a bit, but feeling the weight on his chest he stops and opens his eyes.

With her head still on his chest and her hand still clutching the same amount of shirt it was last night, Hima is still soundly sleeping.

Not wanting to disturb her, Yuki lays his head back on the pillow and stares up at the ceiling. They still had a few more hours before they had to meet up with their new sensei and other team mate, but he didn't mind rushing if it meant he could be here.

Though he was surprising himself, he had never felt happier in his life. It's as if Hima's confession turned him around and changed him into a while new person. He suddenly had someone other than his sister in his life that he wanted to protect, and if need be, die for.

Though it wasn't long until Hima started to fidget, a moment later, she turned her head to look at Yuki, not saying a word. They lay there for a few moments just looking at each other.

Finally, Hima speaks. "Remember what I said last night, right?"

Yuki nods, "You'll bury me."

"You better believe it too." She says as she lifts herself up and stretches her arms above her head. "I have never slept better though." She said with a sly smile while peeking back at Yuki. She turns and falls completely onto him. "Can I just lay here the rest of the day?" she asks.

This makes Yuki smile, "As much as I'd like that, we need to meet up with our sensei later, remember."

Hima frowns, knowing just what kind of day they were in for. Though she was determined to make the most of her time spent with Yuki. She leans up and kisses him, then stands up, but not before Yuki notices the blush on her face.

"What's that blush for?" he asks, smiling at her.

"Don't worry about it, baka!" she snaps at him. She walks over to her dresser and opens a drawer, but then pauses and looks back at Yuki. "I need to change, so if you don't mind, kindly wait outside in the hall." She says with authority.

Yuki doesn't contest. He stands up from the bed and exits the room, closing the door behind him, though when he turns from closing the door he is face to face with Hinata.

They both freeze, but Hinata is the first to move. Yuki notices a slight blush on her face and that she is giggling while she walks away. Confused, only one thing pops into Yuki's mind. _Does she think we did it?_ He wonders. Though thinking too hard about it makes his nose start bleeding and his face turn the color of the blood draining form his nose.

After a few moments, the door opens and Hima walks out, but stops when she notices Yuki's nose bleed. She narrows her gaze at him and starts to ball up her fists. "Did you sneak a peek at me?" she demanded in a low voice.

"WHAT?! NO! Your mom just looked at me funny, started to blush and giggled as she walked away!" he shouted.

This puzzled Hima, "Why would she do that?" she wondered.

"What if she thinks we were doing….well…it…do you?" Yuki whispers to her.

Hima's face turns blood red, what follows next is th hardest slap Yuki had ever experienced. The force was enough to launch him off his feet and sent him spinning to the ground.

"BAKA HENTAI YUKI!" she yells before stomping off down the hallway, leaving Yuki laying in a heap.

He holds his hand to where she slapped him, shakes the hit off, and stands to his feet. Though staggering a bit, he manages to follow after Hima.


	3. Chapter 3: Sensei

**Chapter 3: Sensei**

They were sitting in the classroom now surrounded by their classmates. Each and every one of them eager to learn who they were going to be paired with and who their sensei's were going to be. Most of them oblivious to the fact that their lives now balanced a small thread in a hurricane, some of them wouldn't even live to see their twenties.

Sadly, Yuki knew this harsh reality implied to him and Hima too, but he swore he would do everything in his power to protect Hima from such reality, or he would gladly give his life trying.

Moments later, the door opens and an Elite Jonin steps in, though no one recognizes him.

"My name is Nara Shikamaru, I have the unfortunate task of assigning you all your new teams." He says as he looks down at the paper in his hand, "Man, what a drag, just how did I get stuck with this job…I thought Shino was their class sensei…"

One by one he called the names each student telling them what teams they would be on, he had called out a total of 9 teams worth, but had yet to call on Hima or Yuki.

Beginning to worry, Hima looks at Yuki. "Why hasn't that lazy baka called our names yet?" Though she just got a shrug.

"Oi, Himawari, I heard that." Shikamaru said in a bored tone. "I was getting to you two anyway, your father wants you and…" he pauses to look at the paper "…Yuki to report to his office immediately. You will receive your assignment there."

"Why can't we get our assignment now?" she demanded.

"Look Hima, I'm just passing on his word, if It were my choice, I wouldn't even be here right now. I'd be off watching the clouds…or sleeping." He says, still in a bored tone.

Hima rolls her eyes and grabs Yuki's hand, pulling him along with her as they file past the other students and down the stairs to the bottom floor of the room.

"Father's right about you, you are a lazy baka sometimes." She said with a small grin and she drug the confused Yuki behind her.

Shikamaru shrugs as the door slams. "I've been called worse."

* * *

He was sitting in his office, just finishing up his morning paperwork. He had planned on calling it an early day to get some things done that he had been meaning to for a while, but not before he met with Yuki and Hima.

He peered over to the other side of the room, where a young girl sat. Her long blonde hair past her shoulders, her dress just as white as snow. This girl was a special case for Konoha, having been sent here from the Land of Water, she held no background of being a ninja, but when she was given an exam identical to the Academies, she aced it with flying colors.

She had excellent chakra control, the clones she made for the practical portion of the exam were perfect. She held knowledge of the Konoha's history which practically shocked Naruto. Though he could never get an answer from her on how she knew so much of Konoha.

A moment later there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opens, Hima and Yuki both step in, neither of them noticing the girl sitting in the chair behind them.

"What's the deal dad, why weren't we assigned a partner or sensei yet?" Demanded Hima.

Yuki just stood their silently, he figured Hima had more room to talk to the hokage like that, she was his daughter anyway.

"Maybe if you gave me some time to actually tell you." He said with a sarcastic look on his face as he stands up and motions behind them. "This is your new team mate, Fujii Mai, she isn't from Konoha, or Land of Fire for that fact. She comes from the Land of Water. I'm putting her with you guys for the shear fact that she has had no experience what so ever with combat, not even any form of defense training."

Hima blanches, "Oh no, someone worse than dead last in our class…" she grumbled.

"Not exactly, when she was given the exam to see if she was even suitable, she aced it, even her clones in the practical exam were perfect. She even aced the section of the exam about the complete history of Konoha." He said, still a bit surprised by that fact.

This made Yuki and Hima's mouths drop. Not even they aced the exam, but they at least had some sort of training under their belt.

"P-please don't hold it against me that I'm inexperienced! My family never wanted me to be in any danger, so being a ninja in my home country was out of the question…" Mai finally spoke.

"Well why are you in Konoha then? More so, why are you about to be teamed with us if your family doesn't want you to be a ninja?" asked Hima, partially confused by what Mai had told her.

"I feel as if I know." Spoke Yuki, the others turned to look at him. "She wasn't allowed to become a ninja in the Land of Waves, her family sheltered her. Then something happened, basically what I'm trying to get at….she's in the same boat I'm in…" he looks at Naruto, "Correct, Hokage-sama?"

"Well yes, she indeed lost her parents, but she had the opportunity to become a Land of Water nin, though she specifically requested to be transferred here." He said.

"Why? Wouldn't you want to live and serve the country you were born in?" asked Hima as she turned to the girl.

She shook her head, "Land of Water is not a place for woman, we are mistreated, sometimes worse. We are rarely allowed to become ninja unless we possess a kekkei genkai or skills that are considered valuable."

"She knew Konoha would be the best place for her to become a nin." Yuki said softly. "She knew she wouldn't get the help or training she needed there so she came here."

Mai nods at this, "Yes…"

"Okay, enough chitchat guys. You are to report to Practice Grounds 4, your sensei will meet you there." Said Naruto finally, wanting to get them out of his office so he could get back to thinking about doing nothing.

The three bow and begin to exit the room, "Oi Yuki, one more thing." Naruto says before Yuki leaves. "Your sister will be by nightfall."

Yuki smiles, then bows. "Thank you Hokage-sama!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the practice grounds. Though they could have made it in ten, Hima decided to take the long way around to show Mai some of the sights of Konoha. Though they became a bit uneasy when they arrived and noticed the grounds were empty, neither Hima nor Yuki could pick up on a chakra signature anywhere near them.

"5 meters to the right, in the trees, someone's hiding from us and suppressing their chakra." Mai said. Yuki turned around and saw Mai looking in the direction she called out. Hima stepped in front of them and stopped, her hand in her weapons pouch.

"Let's flush them out then shall we?" she said as she removed her hand from the pouch, producing three shuriken between her fingers.

Hima threw the shuriken into the trees, only to hear metal against metal, a second later they all fell to the ground.

Yuki readied himself, but suddenly was surrounded by a gust of wind that kicked up dirt around him forcing him to shield his eyes. When he opened them, he was face to face with a masked woman with plum colored hair in a ponytail behind her, grey anbu styled flak jacket, and dark pants and undershirt, kunai to his throat.

"Take one step towards us, and I'll cut his neck." The woman said to Hima and Mai, Yuki just kept his cool.

"Don't hurt him!" yelled Hima.

"Calm down Hima, she won't hurt me…" he said calmly.

"So calm for a wet behind the ears genin fresh from the academy. Aren't you afraid for your life." She said, spiking her killer intent so they could all feel it. Then she felt something jabbing at her flak jacket, she looks down and sees the tip of a kunai stuck to her stomach. "Oh…"

The woman drops her kunai to her side and raises her other hand behind her head. "Geez gaki, you got m…"

Before she could finish, Hima acted. Activating her Byakugon, she moved with blinding speed. The woman didn't have time to react, Hima had closed off the tenketsu in her legs, causing her to fall to her knees.

When the woman focused her eye's to see what had happened, she was faced with Hima and Mai holding kunai to her throat at her sides, and Yuki holding the tip of his kunai under her chin.

"Now how about you tell us exactly who you are…." Demanded Yuki, his gaze cold.

The woman held her hands up, "Geez guy's, no need to be…RASH!"

She forced chakra out in a manner that none of them felt before. IT caused Mai and Hima to be pushed back, their kunai falling from their hands. The woman grabs them up and rushes the staggering Yuki.

Yuki managed to deflect her first strikes, but somehow the woman got under his vision and knocked his katana from his grip. Now he was forced into the defensive, ducking and rolling under her strikes.

She made one forceful jab at Yuki, he tried to evade it but his foot slipped causing him to fall towards the kunai, he tried to shift his weight to roll from it, but the woman froze just before the point was touching him. He regained his footing, and was shocked to find the woman surrounded by a glowing red aura.

She was fighting to move, but whatever surrounded her was forcing her to stay still. Yuki peered past her and noticed Mai, her green eyes were now red and she held here hands out in front of her. Even Hima had noticed it and stepped away from her a bit.

"Disarm her Yuki." Mai said in a strained voice.

"Who knew….id be the sensei…to kids like you…" the woman managed to get out through gretted teeth.

Yuki froze…"What did you say?" he asked her.

"I'm…you're sensei…BAKA!" she shouted

What the woman said struck Mai…"Sensei?" She immediately dropped her hands and her eye's turned back to their green color.

The woman drops to her knees and begins to pant. Whatever Mai had done to her took a toll on the woman. "To think…..I wasn't told….she could do that." The woman began, though when she looked up, Hima, Yuki, and Mai were all standing in front of her bowing.

"Forgive us sensei!" they all shouted in unison.

This made her sweat drop, "Geez, you manage to stop me and you're apologizing?" she said, reaching up she removes the piece of cloth she had over her face.

Yuki immediately recognizes the girl, she was Miyabi's best friend. "Ko?.." he said rather confused.

The girl smiles, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "You got it, Gaki."

Hima's head snapped up and she glared at Ko. "You're his sisters friend, knowing just how protective she is of him…and you still pull a stunt like that….ARE YOU STUPID?!" she shouted.

"No," said Ko standing up. "Miyabi told me this would more than likely happen. I corner him, he tricks me into thinking I had him, then you act. What I hadn't counted on is this girl, "she points at Mai. "Stopping me in my tracks."

Mai looked at the ground, as if she were in trouble. "My apologies Sensei."

"No need to apologize, that was part of my initial test. Seeing how you all reacted to a threat, and from what I saw, you guys did pretty damn good for genin." She said with a grin while turning her head to looks amongst them.

"Though there is one thing I want to know." She looks at Mai again. "What exactly was that move you used to stop me?" curiosity filled her voice.

Now Hima and Yuki had turned their heads to look at Mai, who was feeling a bit embarrassed at all the attention she was getting now.

"Yea Mai, what was that? I never seen anything like that before…" Hima spoke.

"I-it was the…"


	4. Chapter 4: The Secret

**Chapter 4: The Secret**

The past had an ugly way of coming back to bite someone. That's all Miyabi could think at that moment. The past that she ran away from with her younger brother was now coming back to bite her. Though deep down inside, she felt relieved that the girl had made it out and to a place that could help her, but the threats it posed were far too great.

 **Flashback**

"He knows nothing yet, he didn't even give her a second look Miyabi, there's nothing to fear as of yet." Naruto assured her.

"But what if…..what if something happens and all that we've done reverses itself? All that we fought so hard to keep Yuki from could come crashing down in front of us…then what?" she asked him, her emotions running wild.

Naruto sighed and leaned back in his chair. "If it does happen, then it's his choice. He has the right to know his true identity and where he comes from Miyabi, he also has the right to know the truth behind your parent's death, plus the fact that this girl is the sole reason he is alive…."

"What if he loses control…." She asked shortly.

"Then we restrain him, or if that's impossible…" Naruto stops before going further, knowing full well Miyabi knew what he was getting to.

Miyabi only shakes her head, "If It comes to that, Kami pray it doesn't, I'll be the one to do it." A single tear fell down her cheek.

"You have my word, we did a thorough sweep of his memories, Miyabi. Everything before the explosion was erased and then fabricated. As far as he is concerned, he's from the Land of Fire." He said, not trying to calm the situation down.

There was a silence for a moment, "What did you tell Mai?" asks Miyabi, brushing her silver hair from her face.

"I made it abundantly clear that she is to act like she has never met anyone from this village before. I also told her that unless you engage conversation with her pertaining to her past, she is not to speak of it." He said a bit cold.

Miyabi starts to glare at Naruto, "Did you threaten her…"

Naruto shakes his head, "No, Miyabi, I didn't threaten her."

Again, silence, but this time it lasts for a few moments longer.

"From what my wife tells me, my daughter has fallen for your brother, and he for my daughter.." Said Naruto in a low voice. "She adores him…"

Miyabi only stares at the ground, "Can you blame her? They've been inseparable since first year, I'm just surprised it's taken them this long." She looks up at Naruto, "You're worried about her being harmed if he turns…aren't you."

HE doesn't answer, he simply averts his gaze.

"Don't worry," she say standing up. "No matter what happens, he won't turn on a friend, nor one that he loves." She bows and turns to walk towards the door.

"There's still the other matter I wanted to speak to you about Miyabi…regarding the Anbu." Said Naruto, smiling just a bit as Miyabi turns to face him once more with a surprised look on her face.

 **Flashback End**

She sighs as she looks down to the white mask she now held in her hands, the designs made to look like a wolf, probably to go along with the code name she was given. She pulses chakra into her hand and the mask vanishes.

Now she's looking up at the sky, the breeze blowing her hair back. "I'll keep my silence till the time is right…"

* * *

"Now there's one I haven't heard of before." Said Ko in an enthusiastic tone.

"Blood Eye…"Yuki repeated Mai. "Is it even a Dojutsu?" he wonders.

Mai nods, "Yes, though it hasn't been around for very long at all, within the last 15 years…"

Hima's eyes widen, "Wait, so you're telling us you're the first person to have this? You're literally the first person ever to have this new kekkei genkai?"

Mai nods, "Yes…"

Ko sits back more on the ground, "Though it's great and all to be the first person to hold a new kekkei genkai, it may also be a curse." She said with a dark tone. "When word gets out, and believe me it will, many groups that are in it for the less the reputable side of income are going to want it for their own personal gains."

This scared Mai, "W-will I be hunted down?"

Ko smiles, "Naaaah, I'm just trying to scare you."

This makes Yuki, Mai, and Hima collectively sweat drop.

Ko then stands up from where the group had been sitting. "Well, now that we got that out of the way. How about we all go out for ramen, my treat."

"Aren't you supposed to be giving us some kind of test?" asked Hima. "Father told me most sensei test their students before accepting them as a team."

"Does it look like I'm like most sensei, Himawari?" Ko asked sarcastically.

Hima averted her gaze, "I hate being called by my full first name." she said in a matter of factly tone.

"Very well, _Hima…._ or would Whiskers suffice?" Now grinning, Ko awaiting a reaction.

It took Hima a second, but Yuki could see it on her face the second Ko called her whiskers.

"YOU"RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" Hima almost screamed as she rushed Ko, though Ko dodged every strike.

This went on for almost half an hour, Mai and Yuki watching calmly, though Yuki noticed that Mai was inching ever so closer to him but decided not to say a word.

* * *

An hour and a half later, they were leaving the ramen shop, having had their midafternoon meals, Ko decided it was a good enough time to call it a day.

"Meet me back at the practice grounds tomorrow. We'll begin the day by doing some water walking drills and go from there." She said to the three before disappearing in a blur.

Hima blanched at that. "Water walking drills….I can't even swim…"

"Maybe that's why it's called…'Water Walking' Hima, no swimming is involved." Yuki spat out sarcastically, earning him a slap on the back of the head, which inturn made Mai giggle. "The hell was that for!?" Yuki demands as he turns to Hima.

"For making fun of me, baka Yuki!" she seethed.

"Yea well you set yourself up for it." He said, preparing for another hit, but it didn't come. Hima just glared at him for a moment before turning her nose up. "Baka…"

Yuki rubs the back of his head for a moment until the pain subsides, "So….what should we do the rest of the day?" he asks.

"Isn't your sister supposed to be home? Don't you want to spend time with her?" asks Hima.

"Yea, your right….I guess." Muttered, knowing he'd rather spend the night with Hima again.

"Alright, that settles it, where do you guys wanna meet up tomorrow before we meet with Ko-sensei?" Hima asks, she herself would rather spend the night with Yuki.

"H-how about we meet at Y-yuki's place." Suggest Mai.

"Sounds good to me." Yuki says as he starts to turn and walk away. "Be at my place at 7 then."

The three go their separate ways. Yuki is walking alone through the streets, thoughts of today filled his mind. For some reason, Mai seemed rather familiar to Yuki, though he knew he had never met her before. Though it was odd that she was scooting rather close to him when Hima was trying to fight Ko for calling her Whiskers.

It didn't take him long at all the reach his house, though it wasn't the one he remembered growing up in, it was still home for him and his sister. He walked up the steps and to the door finding it to be unlocked. HE smiled a bit knowing his sister was back home.

Walking in he takes his gear off and lets it fall to the floor beside the door. He walks down the small hallway and through a open door that leads to the kitchen. There sitting in at the dinner table is Miyabi, Her gear under the chair she was sitting in, and her silver hair was let down, falling past her shoulders, wrapping her right arm with bandages. Though Yuki hates seeing her do that, he knows there is nothing he can do to stop it.

A few months after their parents' death, Miyabi had been sent on a mission to dispatch enemy bandits in the area. She was severely injured and most of her arm had been taken off. She was fortunate enough the famous Lady Tsunade was around that day, and that they were able to save her arm, but she still had to keep it wrapped.

"Hey gaki, how's your new team?" she asks when she notices he's standing there.

"It's alright….Ko tried to kill me…" he mumbled.

"Well it's her job as a sensei to test her new genin team out…though I made it clear to her not to be so forceful" Miyabi trailed off, knowing all too well how Ko can be. "So who's on your team." She asked him, already fully aware of his team members.

Yuki moved to a chair opposite Miyabi and sat down. "Hima and some girl from the Land of Waves. It's weird though, she used a dojutsu that I've never heard of before, and she said she was the first person to ever have it…"

Miyabi froze internally at this. She knew what Yuki was talking about, she just didn't think that Mai would use it in the open like that. Though to make it seem that she was oblivious to it, she went ahead and asked him anyway. "What's it called, maybe I have…"

"Blood Eye, when Ko and I were fighting, Ko froze in midair. When I looked pasted her, I saw Mai with her arms stuck out and her eye's glowing red."

Miyabi's heart sank, Mai had used the one thing she knew Mai was forbidden from. She had been forbidden from using it again since the accident.

"Nope, never heard of it, but it sounds like it may come in handy. Hell it sounds like it could be better than the Sharingan or Byakugon." She spoke, trying not to sound bothered by the information as she finished up wrapping her arm.

She held it in front of her and flexed it, moving her fingers around. "Whatcha think Gaki? Another year and I never have to wrap it again."

Yuki just looked down at the table, "You know how I feel about it…"

"Come on, it's not like I died or anything." She said trying to get him to look at her.

"Pretty damn close!" he spat, now standing up from the table to go to his room. "I'm going to go change."

Miyabi knew he was bothered, it was easy to tell. "Well, what do you want for dinner?"

"Anything will be fine"…she said shortly as he walked out of the kitchen.

Miyabi scuffed, "Geez Hima, I hope you can crack that withdrawn shell of his wide open…"

Hours later, Yuki is laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. His sister had cooked them both dinner, and they sat there talking and discussion situations that may arise now that Yuki is in a squad. Now all he could think about was the possibility of dying to protect the ones he loved and his village. He just couldn't shake the fact that Hima would have to do the same now.

It was weird though, everytime he started to think about her, his heart started to beat faster and harder. When he would think about her being hurt, his emotions would flare. He had to clear his mind before he Miyabi figured something was wrong by the way his chakra was spiking.

A knock at his window shakes him out of it, and he smiles once he see's who it is. Sitting on the large tree branch that passes directly infront of his window is Hima, smiling back at him. He gets off the bed and walks to the window and opens it.

"Sorry, we're closed for the night." He said grinning at her, taking her hand to help her in. "But for the young lady, exceptions can be made."

Stepping from the window to the floor, she turns and wraps her arms around Yuki. "It's not the same when you're not with me. All I can do is think about you…"

"Does your parent's know you're here?" Yuki asks, wondering if Yuki just left without telling anyone.

"Mother knows, dads working late tonight…" she said in a low tone of voice, but looks up into Yuki's eyes. "Yuki…I'm scared.."

This dumbfounds Yuki, Hima was the one person Yuki wouldn't expect to be scared. Hima was always looking fear in the face and sending it packing. She would stand up to anyone and still manage to come out on top.

"Scared of what Hima?" he wonders.

"I'm scared of losing you, and at the same time scared that something might happen and I'll leave you alone. I know you care for me deeply and so do I, but being a ninja is a deadly business. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to you." She said with a tear rolling down her cheek.

Yuki grabs her head and holds it against his chest. "It's alright Hima, I'm not going anywhere."

"But what if…" she started but trailed off.

"No what ifs Hima, I'll always be here for you." He knew the chances of that, but he would try his hardest to keep his word.

Hima looks up at Yuki, then pulls his face to hers. They stand there for a few moments, their lips locked and their hearts beating almost through their chests. After what seems like eternity to them, Hima breaks the kiss and looks into Yuki's eyes. "I love you, Yuki…"

Yuki presses her head to his chest again. "I love you too Hima."

Yuki and Hima make their way to Yuki's bed. Hima lays with her head on Yuki's chest as he strokes her hair. This comforts Hima to the point that she is starting to drift off to sleep. Yuki just lays there looking down at her, never wanting this moment to end.


	5. Chapter 5: Confidence

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait guys, I've been so busy lately with work and personal life that I completely lost interest in typing. I had most of the 5th chapter already done, anyway, I'll more then likely begin writing again over the next few days as my schedule is slowing down a bit...plus I have a few days off coming up so that'll help out alot!

 **Chapter 5: Confidence**

That night, another storm set its sights on the village. Heavy rain, fierce wind, thunder and lightning like no one has ever seen, yet Hima slept soundly. Yuki on the other had lie awake listening to Hima's soft breathing and the heavy rain pounding his window.

He hears the door knob on his door unlatch, and the door slowly opens. The light in the hallway spills into the room, blinding Yuki momentarily. Once his eye's focus, he sees Miyabi leaning against the door frame. Her tank top and shorts both loose fitting, needless to say, Yuki could figure out she was about to go to bed.

"Well isn't that nice, you have something to cuddle with at night." She whispered, making fun of the fact that Hima was laying almost on top of Yuki.

Yuki looked at her with a blank expression, "At least I got someone to sleep with me at ni…" he stopped before he went further.

Miyabi was about to burst out laughing at the slip Yuki made. "Nice choice of words, gaki." Yuki glared at her for a moment while she calmed and collected herself, "Come on Yuki, I wanna talk to you about something. That is if sleeping beauty doesn't wake up." She said jokingly.

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?" he asked, not wanting to move any fearing it would wake Hima.

Miyabi shook her head, "No gaki, the sooner I talk to you about it the better."

Yuki sighs, moving slowly he manages to lift Hima off of him a bit and slides out of the bed. Hima fidgets a bit but doesn't wake.

Yuki walks to the door and passes Miyabi as he walks out. She looks in one last time to make sure Hima is sleeping before she shuts the door. Miyabi leads Yuki to her room, inside the lights are on, and there is a small radio on the table next to her bed playing rock music.

Yuki sits in a chair next to the window while Miyabi plops down onto the bed. Sitting back up she crosses her legs and looks at Yuki.

It takes her a few moments, but she finally speaks. "So…do you feel confident with your team?"

Yuki is confused, why is she even asking him this he thought. "Uhh, I guess, why?"

"That doesn't sound like you're confident.." she glared now. "What I mean is do you trust your sensei and your squad mates to get you out of deadly situations? Do you trust them to make sure that if you're hurt that you aren't left behind? Would you do the same for them?"

"Well yea. I know for a fact that Hima would go to the ends of the earth to know I was safe or to protect me if I was hurt, and leaving me behind is out of the question for her." He said, wondering what she was getting at. This wasn't like her at all.

"What about your other team mate? Do you trust her?" she asks in a firm tone. "You have to be able to trust your team mates before you can take missions together,"

"Miyabi, we have only been a team for a single day, they aren't gonna give us missions right away. We have to work on our team work before we can take missions. Plus starter missions are only D ra…." He was cut off.

"So? From the very beginning you have to be sure about your team mates, one second of doubt is enough to get you hurt…..at worst killed." She said, not averting her eye's from him. "Things happen Yuki, thinks will happen to you, you just have to make sure your team is there for you…" She holds her arm up and gestures to it, "This is what I mean by things happen…"

Yuki turned his head to avoid looking at her arm. This made Miyabi mad, she hated when he wouldn't acknowledge it. "Yuki, look at me." HE still didn't look at her. "YUKI!"

The yelling made him flinch, but he turned his head to look at her.

"I need to know whether you trust Hima and the other girl before I let you go out on missions…" she said in a low voice, knowing Yuki was uncomfortable now.

"You can't do that Miyabi, it's the Hokage's call…" Yuki said, trying to avoid Miyabi's gaze.

"Actually, it is my call, as legal guardian of you I have the authority to pull you indefinitely from active duty. I'm not gonna lose my only family member because he couldn't trust his team mates to bring him home alive!" she paused. "Look, I know you trust Hima, and I trust Ko….but what of the other girl?"

"Well she saved me from falling into a kunai! I think that's enough to trust she won't get me killed or let me be killed!" he yelled.

Though it's not the way Miyabi wanted to hear it, she got her answer, Yuki had trust in Mai. She stood up and walked to Yuki, she wrapped her arms around him. "You're all I have left Yuki, don't you dare do anything stupid out there, you hear me?"

Though Yuki is reluctant, he returns the hug. "Same goes to you."

Miyabi releases the hug and looks down at Yuki, smiling a little. "Oh don't worry about me, I can handle myself….Now go on back to Hima before she wakes up an…"

Just then the room fills with a bright white light, just as a crack of thunder shakes the whole house. As the ringing in Yuki's ears subsides, he can hear footsteps on the floor running down the hallway. Hima bursts into the room and throws herself into Yuki's arms. "Baka Yuki, why'd you leave me?!" she says visibly shaken.

Miyabi starts to rub the back of her head. "Ah, I'm sorry Hima, it was my fault, I had to talk to Yuki about something."

"Hmph," she snorted, sticking her tongue out at Miyabi. "At night he's mine…wait till the mornings."

Yuki and Miyabi sweatdropped. "Geez, clingy much?" Miyabi mumbled. "He's my brother you know."

"That may be true…but I'm his girlfriend…" she spat

Yuki blinked rabidly a few times before his nose began to bleed. He fell back, but the back of his head hit the window sill, causing him to lose consciousness, though the last thing he remembers was Hima's words echoing through his head.

Hours later, the morning light was just starting to creep into Yuki's room. He had a pounding headache and his neck was sore, probably from hitting the window sill so hard last night he thought. Though he could feel the usual pressure of Hima sleeping almost on top of him.

He opened his eyes, but found Hima wasn't sleeping, but laying her head on his chest and looking right at him. "Hima?"

She shot her head straight up. "Baka Yuki! I was so worried that I didn't sleep at all last night!"

Yuki lifted up in the bed and rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head. "Well if you go saying things like that…"

Hima sat up and glared at Yuki, "What, so I'm not your girlfiend?"

"I didn't mean it like that Hima, I mean the way you said it…Of course you're my girl…I wouldn't have it any other way." He said.

"What do you mean?" she asked dropping the glare.

"I mean I wouldn't want any other girl but you to be my girlfriend. You've been there for me since we we started in the academy, we've spent most of our time together…and…" Yuki mumbles something under his breath.

"What was that?" Hima asked, wondering what he had mumbled.

"I said I love you! he yelled as he started to blush.

This made Hima blush heavily. "Y-you love me?"

"Of course, Hima, how couldn't I?"

Hima throws her arms around Yuki and holds him tight. "You don't know how much that means to me Yuki!" she said, Yuki could feel the tears hitting his neck.

"Hima…"

Hima holds her grip on Yuki for a few moments before she releases it, then wipes tears from her eyes. What Yuki said really had an effect of her, this was one of the extremely rare times he had ever seen Hima crying.

"We're forgetting something major Yuki." She finally said.

"What's that?" he wondered.

"….We're late…" she said simply.

It took a second to click in Yuki's head what she said, but when it finally did, you could hear Yuki's scream from outside the house, which made passersby look.

Twenty minutes later, Ko and Mai are sitting on a log at the practice grounds. Ko slightly annoyed at the fact that Hima and Yuki are late.

"I wonder what happened to them…" Mai said worried.

"They probably forgot where they threw their clothes last night…."Ko said sarcastically, which maid Mai blush heavily.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, practically knowing.

Ko sat up and stared at Mai, "You know EXACTLY what I mean."

Mai was about to say something but she heard foot steps approaching them at high speed. When she turned and looked, she saw Yuki and Hima running towards them, she could have sworn there was a cloud of dust behind them.

The two literally come sliding to a stop in front of Ko, trying to catch their breath.

"Forgive us Sensei, we over slept." Yuki said

Ko looks over to Mai and sweatdrops, "See, told you…"

Mai turns almost completely red, avoiding eye contact with the two now.

Hima looks at Ko confused, "What do you mean 'told you'?"

Ko stands up now and stretches, "Oh nothing, just make sure you two love birds aren't late again, got it?"

Hima and Yuki bow, but now before blushing just a bit.

"Alright, todays we will practice water walking. This is a key skill for ninja, since sometimes the only way across to the other side is across a river or pond, also sometimes when running from something or chasing something, it's the best route." Ko stated, then looks at the others. "Have any of you ever done any sort of training like this before?"

Mai raises her hand, "It was a common method of travel in my home country Sensei."

Ko looks at Yuki and Hima, "And you two?"

Hima shakes her head, "No sensei."

"I've only practiced it once, sensei." Said Yuki.

"Were you successful?" Ko asks.

Yuki nods, "Hai, but it was only in shallow water."

Ko nods, "Alright, so this should be easier than I thought." Turning around she begins to walk. "Let's go guys." She says as the others immediately begin to follow her.


	6. Chapter 6: The River

**Chapter 6: The River**

He had walked for days it seemed, given his orders he had left at once knowing just what he was getting himself in to, but the chance to finally settle unfinished business was his driving factor. He had been in an far off nation not affiliated with the Hidden Villages when he got orders from his leaders in the Land of Waves.

"So they live…and the girl has made her way to them." The man speaks to himself. He wore a jet black robe which included a hood that covered his head. "No matter, I only hope they enjoyed their time running." He says as he lowers his head, white light emitting from both of his eyes.

Tired, cold, and damp, that was how Yuki felt. They had been training for most of the day walking on water, his chakra levels were so low he could barely manipulate his chakra. He sat with his head hung trying to catch his breath. It didn't help that Ko had decided to include sparing with the water walking exercise.

Mai was a natural at it though. She hadn't once lost control of her chakra and fell in the water like he had.

Hima on the other hand, was having the worst day of her life. She had fell through so many times that Yuki was sure her current set of clothes were ruined and what weapons she had on her were going to rust. Though she had managed to get the hang of her control and was now walking very slowly on the surface.

"Good, now just keep focusing your chakra downward. But try not to go too far out since you can't swim" Ko says as she turns her head to face Yuki, "How are you the Hokage's daughter and a nin but you can't swim." She mumbles

"I HEARD THAT!" Hima shouts while struggling to keep her focus.

Ko smirks as she turns to face Hima again, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yuki smiles a bit, "Atleast you haven't fallen in in the last ten minutes Hima."

Hima growls a little, but none the less keeps walking. Though something catches her eye from the other side of the river and she stops. Standing on the opposite bank is an older man. His outfit suggest he's a nin even if it is tattered and ragged, but something about him makes Hima worry. "Uh, sensei…"

Ko catches on to what Hima was looking at and focus her eyes, then her heart drops. She recognizes the man as an A-Rank Missing Nin from Konoha. "Oh shit! Hima come back here now, hurry!" she yells as she herself begins running towards Hima. Yuki notices whats going on and is instantly to his feet with Mai at his side.

The nin launches with blinding speed at Hima, she can't get her legs to move, no matter how hard she tries she can't get her body to respond to her. Just as the man nears her she can only think of one thing to do.

"HIMA RUN!" Yuki screams as he too starts to rush towards the Nin and Hima.

"HIMA!" Ko yells as she nears her.

Through the screaming, Hima can only think of one thing. 'Now!' she says mentally as she cuts her focus on her chakra control. Immediately she slips below the surface of the water.

Ko and the nin collide seconds later and begin to fight, Yuki on the other hand runs full speed with Mai right behind him. "Mai, help Ko, I'm going after Hima"

Yuki lurches forward and cuts all of his chakra control. Diving head first into the water he is overcome with how cold it is and how strong the current is. He cold only hope Hima was close enough by he could get her to the surface before it was too late.

He can barely see anything, and with this current he was certain that Hima was swept further down, so he decides to let himself flow with the current. Scanning, hoping, praying to find Hima.

What seems like forever passes, Yuki can feel himself becoming weak from the lack of oxygen so he decides to re-surface. He doesn't have time to look around before he dives again. Again scanning, hoping to see Hima.

Suddenly a chakra signature starts to overcome him. 'Yuki…' he hears Hima's voice in his head. A split second later a reddish orange glow appears infront of him.

As he gets close he spots Hima, surrounded by the glow and letting off a chakra signature so strong he feels his on chakra levels rising again. Once he is close enough, he reaches his hand out, being cautious about the glow around Hima, but a hole opens up.

Yuki reaches his hand in the hole and grabs onto Himas hand. As he does the glow disappears allowing Yuki to fully grab a hold of Hima. He fights to get them both to the surface now, pushing through the pain in his chest.

Finally he surfaces and takes in a long deep breath, as he frantically fights to keep Himas head above water. Looking around he sees land, so he fights to get them there. A moment or two of swimming, Yuki catches his footing, dragging them both to dry ground.

Laying Hima down, Yuki drops to his knees and lowers his head to check if she's breathing, just as he does she starts coughing up water and gasping for air. Just a few more seconds later she opens her eyes but struggles to focus on Yuki.

"Yuki…" she manages to get out.

Yuki smiles, "You're safe now Hima…your safe."

His smile is short lived though, the strain of using all of his chakra to help him fight the current had caught up with him. His strength faded, and he hit the ground hard right next to Hima.

Her arm was bloodied, she could feel the sting of half a dozen cuts, but she had managed to drive off the rouge nin. Mai had stayed far enough back to not be a hindrance, but she still feared for Yuki and Hima, both of which she hadn't seen since the fight began.

"Ko sensei, are you okay?" Mai asked worried.

Ko had her left hand on her right arm covering some of the badly bleeding wounds. "Don't worry about me Mai, we need to find Yuki and Hima." She looked back at the river and noticed how fast it was moving. "I only hope they made it…" she said with a worried tone.

Her whole body was sore, from her face down. She hadn't expected to be thrown around by the current like that, nor did she expect to be under as long as she was. Now she was kami knows how far away from the village, and her boyfriend was lying unconscious on the ground near her.

Every so often she would activate her Byakugon and scan the area, only seeing a few woodland animals silently approaching the fire to reap it's warming benefits. Not that she could blame them, it got cold around here at nights, even during the summer.

She sighed, she knew she would get an earful, not only from Ko Sensei, but from her dad, and probably even Miyabi. She was always protective of Yuki when she wasn't out on missions, rightfully so since Yuki was the only family she had left.

What seemed like eternity passed by for Hima, she sat alone by the fire, thoughts racing through her mind. She didn't even remember being under water at all, but remembered purposely falling in to dodge that rouge nin that was heading right for her. When she woke, Yuki, who looked battered and drained was kneeling above her, then he had fallen right to the ground.

She had never been so worried in her life, she didn't know what was going to happen, so rather than push on into the unknown in an unknown direction, she set up camp. She managed to get a fire going with what little fire jutsu she knew, though it was turned down quite a bit.

She wondered how long it would take for the others to find them, or for them to find the others. She hoped Yuki would be awake by dawn, she didn't know if she had the strength to even pick him up, let alone carry him for any amount of distance.

Suddenly she hears twigs behind her breaking, rather then being unprepared and defenseless her left hand bolts into her pants pocket as she rolls over to Yuki. Kneeling infront of him on one knee and holding a kunai she spots the cause of the noise, then her muscles tense.

Standing not too far from them is the rouge nin that attacked them before. This time, Hima didn't plan on running. "What do you want!" she shouts.

"For you to stand down and let me have the boy, Lord Ghost commands it." The red haired nin says. His greenish eyes fixated on Yuki.

"No chance." Hima says as her Byakugon activates. What she see's blows her mind, the nin's chakra network is beyond recognizable. Tenketsu points are bypassed, not to mention both of his legs are glowing as if they were supercharged with chakra.

"You don't understand girl, I'm taking the boy, if you don't stand down I will kill you!" he says with a dark tone.

"NO! You don't understand!" she almost screams, trembling like never before. "I'm not gonna let you have him as long as there's life in me! Even then I'm going to drag you to hell with me!" she yells, her emotions running rampant, chakra surging into her network from deep within sharpening her senses.

"So be it brat!" the nin says as he drops both of his hands to his side.

Hima prepares for the fight, she glances back at Yuki, who has yet to move. 'I love you Yuki'

The man launches at Hima with blinding speed just as she turns her head to face him again. Though all the training she received from her mother had paid off. Using the Juken, she blocked the first two hits he tried to land, but she hadn't been ready for his next move.

The next hit he tried to land he supercharged his fist with chakra, throwing off Himas vision and temporarily. She barely manages to dodge his fist but knee catches her in the stomach sending her doubling back and to the ground. Again he tries the knee trick but Hima is ready. She pushes all of her chakra to her finger tips, using the Byakugon she manages jolt her arms forward to land each finger on a tenketsu point on the mans chest, a move her mother told her would kill someone if the right amount of chakra was used.

The man only smirked, "Poking me won't work brat!"

Lowering his hand next to her head, Hima can only look terrified as a fireball forms and blows her off into the bushes.

Now nothing stood between the nin and Yuki. The man smirks as he gets closer to Yuki. "Well well kid, your little friend put up quite the fight to protect you. Though….it was sadly for nothing." He kneels down as if to pick up Yuki, but stops. A chakra signature he had only felt once before was overcoming him.

A mighty gust of wind this him, sending him flying backwards. He rolls midair and manages to land on his feet but slides to a stop. When he looks up his mouth drops, standing just behind Yuki, surrounded by a orange glow, is Hima. Her facial features a little more canine, her fingernails have grown to resemble claws, but most notable was what resembled two tails made completely out of chakra flowing behind her.

"Maybe you didn't understand me when I said I would drag you to hell with me. Let me reiterate that!" she says with a growl. "I said I was going to protect Yuki no matter the cost, and I mean to keep my promise!"

The man can only look on in shock, he was utterly speechless, he didn't even have a thought process at that moment.

Hima steps over Yuki, the chakra tails swaying about. "Now I'm going to show you what I was sworn to never rely upon!"

Ko felt it, so did Mai, both of them knew it could only be bad, but at least they had an idea of what direction Yuki and Hima were, so they both ran off in that direction.

He was sitting in his study when he felt it. Everyone in Konoha had felt it, those old enough to remember what caused this feeling knew exactly what caused it.

Naruto was now racing from roof top to roof top towards the orange glow a good distance from the village. He knew something was very wrong for Hima to have called upon its power, but only hoped she could hold out till he got there.

He stopped long enough to let the two others who had started trailing him catch up. Hinata and Miyabi land just behind him panting.

"Naruto, it's Hima, isn't it?" Hinata asks worriedly.

He nods, "Hai, we need to get to them fast. Hima only has a short amount of time before major damage is done to her." He says as he launches from that roof to the next.

He hadn't participated in any military exercise for a while, for the sole reason he was retired from active service and living his life calmly and quietly, as quietly as he could really. Though the feeling that had overcome him had made him physically sick at his stomach when it brought back all of the memories he had tried so hard to suppress.

Now he stood in his doorway looking off towards the orange glow in the distance, feelings of dread and despair filling him. He now clutched tightly to the sheathed sword in his only remaining arm when his eye's picked up on his old team mate and two others jumping from roof to roof towards the glow.

As soon as he went stepped foot outside, his wife stepped out behind him. "Come on Sasuke, Naruto will need our help!" the pink haired woman says.

"Sakura, wait!" he tried to stop her, but she was already gone. He sweet dropped a little, she always hated him when they were younger, but ever since he had been back in the village she was always trying to repent for her past, very much the same way he was trying to repent for his past. Rather than wait, he jumps off after them.


	7. Chapter 7: Kyuubi

**Chapter 7: Kyuubi**

All of his senses had flooded back to him at once, every part of him hurt. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him, but he didn't care, he had saved Hima so that's all that mattered. He could tell he was lying on his back, and that it was dark since he couldn't register any light making its way through his closed eye lids. He debated just laying here until morning, but knew Hima was worrying about him.

"You're damn right she's worried about you kit!" came a deep bellowing growl.

Yuki's eye's immediately open and he shoots straight up. HE lets out a yell when he comes face to face with a fox the size of a bear glaring down on him with its head laying on its front paws.

"Oh don't act so scared, I'm nowhere near my former size….atleast not here." The orange fox says.

Yuki was shuddering now, a creature from the stories was laying right infront of him. "Y-you're the kyuubi…."

"Well I prefer Kurama, but yes, I am the Kyuubi...anyway, there's something I wish to speak with you about." Kurama says, closing both of its eyes.

"And just what is that?" Yuki asks, wondering what it is the Kyuubi wanted to talk to him about.

"Our link together…"

* * *

She could see his every move now, she could read when he was about to move and she could block it effectively now. The only problem was the burst of chakra she had received was starting to diminish, so she knew she had to do something fast to end the fight or she might end up being caught off guard again, so she presses on with an attack. Making the nin think she about to go high, she counters and goes under his block and and swipes two fingers across his stomach, which in turn causes the man to double over.

Hima was pushing herself beyond the limit right now, but it was all to protect Yuki, who still hadn't moved. Her senses had increased ten-fold, she had her strength, and her speed. She knew her father had told her to never rely on this unless absolutely needed to in a life or death situation. She couldn't think of a better time than this to use it.

As she reset to attack again, the man disappears, but reappears behind her and unleashes a swift kick aimed at her head, but one of her chakra tails moves to block it. When his leg hits the tail, it sets off a mini explosion that sends him backwards, but again he lands on his feet.

Just as she is about to launch at him, her legs become numb, and she feels as if all the chakra has been drained out of her. The chakra tails disappear, her facial features and nails return to normal, and she falls to her knee's. She can't believe her bad luck, she could barely get her arms to move, let alone even think about getting up and running back to Yuki's side.

The nin only snickers, "Ran out of juice did you?" A sword now appears from his sleeve. Walking closer to her, he points the sword at her neck. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick and painless as a reward for making me waste this much time!"

He draws his arm back, Hima knows this has to be the end, so she closes her eye's and says a silent prayer.

Just as the man is about to release his arm to swing the sword, the sound of what appears to be a thousand birds chirping fills the air, and static electricity begins flooding into him. When he looks up, he sees a ball of electricity, and two glowing white eyes moving towards him quicker than he had ever seen.

"CHIDORI!" shouts Miyabi as she blows past Hima and jams the ball of electricity through the nin's chest. Blood starts pouring to the ground. The nin's eyes widen, his mouth drops, and he releases his grip on the sword and it falls to the ground. She pulls her arm from him, and watches as he staggers backwards for a bit, but then lifts her leg and plants her foot in his chest and pushes him back. When he hits the ground, his eye's roll back in his head and he draws his last breath.

"Hima!" comes a familiar voice to her. She manages to turn and sees her mother land right next to her. "Hima, are you hurt?" she asks very worried.

"No mother, I'm just very weak right now." She says, fighting to stay upright.

Naruto appears right next to Hinata, looking down at Hima. "Hima, what happened, where's Ko and Mai, and what happened to Yuki?" he demands to know. Something really wasn't right if they were this far out, and this badly beaten.

Miyabi walks over to Yuki and falls to her knee's next to him, she lifts his head and places it in her lap. She begins to check his vitals to make sure he's still of the living. While she does this she overhears Hima tell her father what happened, from when they first encountered the rouge nin, to when Miyabi had shown up. Now she felt a hand on her left shoulder, she looks up to see her mentor. Then notices his wife Sakura checking Hima over behind him.

"How is he?" Sasuke asks her, he knew just how close she was to her little brother.

With a tear in her eye she looks back down at Yuki. "He's alive, but I can barely sense any chakra left in him, he must have used what he had left dragging Hima from the river when they got attacked."

Naruto walks over to Miyabi and Sasuke but stops short when Ko and Mai come blasting through the trees. Stopping to catch their breath, they bow respectively to Naruto.

"Hokage-sama, I accept complete responsibility for this. It was my fault I had them so far from the village in the first place." Ko says, knowing Naruto was most definitely pissed off at her.

He just shakes his head. "No, there is now way you could have known you would have been attacked." He then turns to Hima. "It's just a very unfortunate event is all." He says as he looks at the lifeless body of the rouge nin at his feet.

"Oh, father, there's one more thing. When he appeared, he said he had come for the boy….something about "Lord Ghost" commanded it." Hima spoke as Sakura was checking her over with a medical ninjutsu.

Miyabi's head shot up, her eye's jolted open. She turned her head to face Naruto, and gave him a look he only knew meant trouble. He turned from Miyabi to Mai and saw the same look. He knew what she meant by that look, but he didn't want to drag the subject on any further then it needed to be.

"Never heard of him, but I'll have to look in to it." He says, dodging the subject.

Sasuke knew too, but like Naruto, decided to let the subject drop for now.

"We need to move before this 'Lord Ghost' wants to make a bad decision." Naruto finally says after another minute. "The quicker we get back to Konoha the better for both Hima and Yuki."

Everyone nods, Hinata manages to lift Hima into her arms, just as Miyabi lifts Yuki into hers. As the others start down the path, Naruto stops and pulls Sasuke to the side, waiting just a moment for the others to be far enough they won't hear them.

He looks Sasuke in the eye, "I want you to locate Ghost, this time he's got a bit too close for comfort. When you locate him report back, that's an order."

Sasuke pauses, but finally nods, "Hai, I'll report as soon as he's located." He says just as he disappears.

Sakura sees Sasuke leaving, and decides to hang back just as Naruto comes trotting up. "What's going on? You haven't sent Sasuke on a 'hands' mission for a while." She said a bit worried, wondering just what exactly is going on.

Naruto simply shakes his head, "Not now Sakura, I'll fill you in later, we just need to get these two to the hospital." He says as he walks past her. "Just…" he pauses and turns around. "Just stick around the hospital for me please, something's not right, I'll give you that much." He turns back around and starts off after the others.

Sakura stops and thinks, she hadn't seen him this worried about anything since before his son Boruto was born. "Naruto!" she shouts, making him stop and turn to look at her. She begins to walk towards him. "You better explain everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!" she says matter of factly as she clenches her fist. Naruto knows just what she means when she does that, and blanches at the thought of what she had in mind. "You wouldn't want Hinata to get mad at you, would you?"

Sakura stops and glares at him, "She told me just what to do if you ever stepped out of line."

Naruto sweet drops, "She did?"

"Hmph", she turns around and starts after the others now, leaving Naruto to play catchup himself.

* * *

The light creeped in quickly, his eyes fluttered a bit, but then shot open. He scanned the room, he was back in reality. The fox had disappeared, but the knowledge he had gained from it remained. He had a lot of questions now for his sister and the hokage, but now, he had other questions. Why was he laying in a hospital bed hooked up to different machines, and why was Hima laying almost on top of him.

Well really, he didn't care about the last part, but he still wanted to know why he was in a hospital bed and not his own. He also would like to know how they were found, but rather then wake Hima up to get the answers he wanted, he decided to wait. He laid his head back down on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

"I know he spoke to you Yuki…" came a familiar voice.

This startled Yuki, he turned his head to see Naruto sitting in a chair next to the bed with his head down, when he lifts it, Yuki can see the worried look on his face.

"I don't know what he said to you, what ever it is, you're going to tell me as soon as you leave here, but I need you to keep whatever he said a secret." He spoke firmly. "Not many people get to have a one on one talk with that knucklehead fox and live to talk about it."

"I wasn't going to tell anyone, he told me to 'keep my trap shut or I'll chew you up and spit you out, kit'" he said trying his best to mimic the fox.

Naruto just looks at Yuki for a minute, before standing up and walking to the window, looking out of it for a moment he sighs. "There are certain reasons I had part of that knucklehead sealed inside Hima." He says as he turns to look at Yuki again. "When my time comes to leave this life, someone has to take on the burden…" he turns to look out the window again. "When both of my children were conceived, part of the Kyuubi sealed itself within them for just that occasion. When I die, the Kyuubi will be completely sealed inside Hima."

"Why not your son Boruto?" asked Yuki.

Naruto shook his head. "I love my son, but he's like a complete copy of me when I was young. What's worse is, from the start he knew he had part of the kyuubi within him, whereas I didn't. When both of my children learned just what exactly was inside of them, I made it clear to them that they were never to rely upon it unless it was certain death staring them in the face, but Boruto always finds ways to disregard my warnings. Countless times I've scolded him for letting his anger and emotions get the best of him and allowing the Kyuubi's chakra to flood in. Hima on the other hand keeps a level head in most situations….though." he pauses and walks over to the bed, he places his bandaged hand on Hima's head and rubs her hair before lifting it. "I'll just chalk last night up to the certain death situation, but the link you have with the both of them now is to be kept under wraps, got that?"

Yuki nods, "Yes sir."

Naruto grins just a bit. "Anyway, I owe you for what you did for her, it was nothing short of heroic." He says as he starts to walk towards the door. "I'll leave her in your care from now on." Opening the door he walks out and shuts it behind him.

Yuki was left with a lot to think about now. His mind was racing, that is until he felt movement, and looked up to see Hima fidgeting, which makes him smile. She looked so calm when she was sleeping, so innocent. He wraps his arms around here and pulls her in closer, he can feel her moving her head as she takes in a deep breath.

"I swear to Kami-sama, if a word of this leaves your mouth I'm going to make you wish you had died." She spoke as she raised up to face Yuki.

"Well good morning to you too, I take it you slept good?" he teased, but smiled when he saw her face turn read and she averted his gaze.

"…Baka Yuki." She spat in a low tone.

Yuki could only laugh, but adored the way she blushed. What Hima did next though, caught Yuki off guard. Hima moves her face less then an inch from Yuki's and stares into his eyes for a second with a concerned look, but that look softens and she presses her lips to his. It seems to last forever, and he wouldn't even mind if it had. When they parted, Yuki was matching Hima's blush, which made her giggle.

"That was a thank you for coming after me." She finally said.

Yuki smiled, but just as he was about to speak, the door to the room flew open and Miyabi walked in. She glared at Yuki, and he only knew what that meant.

"uhhhh….Miyabi…" he said as his eyes widened.

Miyabi pointed at Yuki and narrowed her gaze. "You….big trouble..." she then pointed at Hima, "You…even bigger trouble!"

A second later, two simultaneous screams of terror could be heard outside of the hospital, making those passing by stop and look. Only two people kept walking, "You don't think she will be too harsh on them do you?"

"Don't worry Hinata, Miyabi's just going to have a 'little talk' with them is all." Naruto says as he takes Hinata's hand, both disappearing into the growing crowd that's gathering outside of the hospital. The sounds of a struggle now filling the air.


	8. Chapter 8: Encounter!

**A/N:** Thanks to those who have read this far. I know I'm not the worlds best with words and grammar but I do try my hardest! Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that I am working on ideas for a Fate/Stay Night UBW fanfic. One idea was to incorporate it with this story but I need to get my thoughts together before I pursue that route, either way this story will continue!

Enjoy!

 **Chapter 8: Encounter!**

Four months had gone by since the incident, four long hard stress filled months. For the first month they trained every single day from sun up to sun down, sometimes longer. Ko was a real slave driver, but it didn't help Miyabi was encouraging her to be. Sometimes Yuki and Hima thought that Miyabi was trying to turn them both into her equal, which Yuki knew would be hard to do.

After the first month, they started doing D Ranked missions. Just the routine pulling weeds out of flower beds, cat sitting, baby sitting, getting groceries for old folks, you know, that boring stuff. Only after Hima had practically begged her dad to let them take on a C Ranked Escort mission did they get their first real taste of what life as a ninja is all about.

It had gone flawlessly, well, as flawlessly as trying to bath a cat in a tub of ice cold water if you asked Yuki. They were escorting a highly idolized figure from Konoha to Iwagakure, a trip that was supposed to be very uneventful turned into a nightmare.

As soon as they left Land of Fire territory, they were followed. Ko had warned them to stay ready when she sensed someone trailing them, but nothing happened until they were right outside of Iwa. They had stopped for the night and set up camp. As they all sat around the fire, and while the person they were escorting was snoring away in his sleeping bad, they were attacked.

Yuki had been sitting on a log next to the fire when something caught his eye, if it hadn't he would have been dead. Form out of the shadows leapt a Cloud Nin, dagger in his hand, heading straight for Yuki. Just as the nin reaches him, Yuki rolls over backwards from the log, extends his foot which catches the nin in the chest, and latches onto the nin's arm just above the dagger as he puts all of his might into pushing his foot deeper into the nins chest until he hears multiple cracks. As Yuki's back hits the ground he lets go of the nins arm and momentum does the rest, the nin hits a tree and falls to the ground lifeless, as Yuki rolls onto his feet, katana drawn from the sheeth.

Hima was handling a nin of her own, she had trained hard and all but perfected the Juken, but she had added her own little tricks to it. She surged enough chakra into her fingertips that it was visible, not only that, but it would also cut skin. She had been on the defensive, blocking hit after hit until the nin stops and backs up. HE makes a few hand signs, "Water Style: Ice Shards!"

Water droplets rose from the ground, but froze instantly and hovered in the air. Thousands of little ice shards now hang in the wind, that is, until the nin extended his fist. When he does , all the shards launch themselves at Hima, who just stands their calm with her head hung a bit. Just as the shards are about to hit her, she lifts her head with a satisfying grin on her face. "You're finished."

Mai appears in front of Hima, her eye's glowing red. The shards begin to glow red as they get closer, seconds later drops of water blow past the two. Hima pulls her arm into her side just a bit before releasing it and butting all of her body weight behind it. "Air Palm!"

Just as Hima releases the Air Palm, Mai lifts her right leg and slams it into the ground. A large rock is sent upwards and is caught by the Air Palm. The nin never had a chance, the rock hits him in the face and he flies back and flops to the ground and doesn't get back up.

Yuki breathes a sigh of relief that Hima didn't get hurt, another nin hits the ground between them. Ko walks to the nin and plants her foot in his chest, but he doesn't budge, mostly because he isn't of the living anymore.

The mission had been a success, Ko was more than overjoyed at the outcome of all the training they had gone through. They were acing and working together like a veteran squad, she needed to thank Miyabi when she got back for the tips and advice.

The third month was largely uneventful, there was a halt to any missions under a certain rank, so that left Yuki and his squad training again most days. He and Hima also worked to strengthen the link they had between each other thanks to the Kyuubi, Naruto didn't quiet agree with it at first, but then saw the benefits of it. More so that they didn't have to physically speak any words to communicate to each other. The rest of the time he and the others usually spent it hanging around, or much to Hima's liking, shopping. Many times Yuki spent those days sitting outside of a shop holding boxes of things Hima and Mai had bought.

He didn't mind it though, that is until Hima would run out of money. Poking her head out of the door of the shop and rubbing the back of her head, "Ummm, Yuki…" she said with a slight blush and a smile.

Yuki sighed, "Left pocket…" he said as Hima's hand buries itself in his pocket before pulling out a handful of money. Yuki could have sworn he could see a star twinkling in her eyes each time she did that. "Thanks Yuki, love you!" she'd always say before she disappeared into the shop again.

Now the fourth month was beginning to turn out like the third, every day they would check in at the Village Tower for word of any available mission, but were always turned away when nothing was pending. Today was nothing different, it had been about thirty minutes since they left the Tower, now Yuki was laying on the side of a roof staring up at the clouds.

"You remind me of that lazy baka Shikamaru when you do that, Yuki." Says Hima with a sarcastic look on her face. She was sitting to Yuki's left , her knee's pulled close to her chest. Mai at to Yuki's right looking out over the village.

"It calms my nerves, Hima." He said in a low tone, as a flock of birds fly over.

"Calms your nerves? We haven't done anything stressful in the past month, what could be bothering you?" she asked, clearly irritated.

"Maybe he's just eager to start doing missions again is all." Mai said in a chipper tone.

Yuki and Hima had been surprised by how much Mai had opened up from her withdrawn self when they first met her. Though they still can't get much out of her about her life in the Land of Waves, merely saying she doesn't want talk about it. Ko had told them she would come around eventually and tell them all, that we just needed to give her time.

"Hmph, whatever." Hima spat, now staring at a group of people who had gathered in a small square below them. She watches them for a minute and notices just how joyous they are. Finally she sighs, "You guys want to go get ramen? My treat."

Mai jumps to her feet, "YES!" Mai loved Ramen, almost as much as Hima's father did. Some days it's all she would eat.

Hima grins, she could always count on Mai wanting to go, but Yuki on the other hand, "What about you, Yuki?"

Yuki sighs, then lifts himself up, "Sure, I need to eat something."

Just as Yuki stands, Ko appears behind them in a cloud of smoke. "Well hey, count me in too." She says with a huge smile on her face.

The three sweet dropped, everytime someone else said they would pay for food, Ko would appear seemingly out of nowhere. "Geez, where were you hiding?" Yuki wonders.

"None ya, gaki." She spat.

Yuki's face dropped, he had expect that form Miyabi, not Ko. "Sounds like my sisters rubbing off on you…" he mumbles.

After a few more moments of back and forth hey all decide to leave while they still can. At the ramen shop, they eat their fill and then some. The good thing about it is Hima didn't have to pay anything, the shop owner had given them all they wanted for free seeing that Hima was the daughter of his best customer.

They had got their fill and left the shop, going their separate ways, that is Mai and Ko left together, and Him and Yuki left together…holding hands. As the two of them walk through the village, Yuki can't help but feel a little weird since almost everyone they pass steps out of their way and bows to them, well to Hima really, since her father is the Hokage.

After a few minutes of walking they reach Yuki's house, walking up to the house they find the door ajar. Yuki stops and stares at it, but doesn't give it a second thought. Pushing it open he walks inside with Hima behind him. Stopping just inside the door they kick their shoes off, Hima turns and starts to walk down the hall and towards the kitchen. "I'll make us some tea!"

Just as she rounds the corner though, Yuki hears a scream. Just as he looks up, Hima flies back into the wall. "HIMA!" Yuki screams she he launches to her side. Just as he is through the threshold of the kitchen door, all of his senses scream for him to stop. Just as he does, a lance passes less than an inch infront of his face and imbeds itself in the wall.

Yuki freezes, but manages to turn his head in the direction the lance came from. Standing there facing him is a man wearing a black robe, his short black hair spiked at the ends, a sinister smile on his face.

"Well well, the brat lives I see, and he has himself a little girlfriend now too? How touching." He sneers, glaring at Yuki.

"W-who are you…" Yuki squeeks out as Hima begins to move again.

"Who? Me? Well, you see I'm the one everyone refers to as Ghost, but you probably don't remember that….or for that matter anything involving your past." He lowers his head a bit. "You see, you were supposed to be dead a long time ago, but luck would have it you didn't."

Yuki blanks out, was he really supposed to be dead? HE had no idea what the man was talking about but for some reason, deep down inside, what he spoke of felt familiar. 'Yuki, we need to make a run for it.' He hears Hima say mentally.

'I know that, but how. If we just stand and run he will surely catch us.' He says back mentally.

'Heh, leave that to me!' responds Hima mentally just as she starts to stand up, albeit a bit shaky. "How….are you going to kill anything….when you hit like a kid…."

The man narrows his eyes at Hima, "Quiet girl, I have no use for you and don't want to cause any unnecessary death!"

Hima is full standing now but has both of her arms slumped down at her sides while she stares at the floor, drops of blood falling from her face, "Say what you want, but when it comes to harming my boyfriend…" she lifts her head and glares at the man, revealing her newly slitted pupils "…I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he's safe!"

As Hima last words exit her mouth, chakra oozes from her forming two tails behind her, her fingernails lengthen. Yuki had been pushed back by the sheer amount of chakra that was released and could only watch.

"Well I am impressed, who would have thought that brat would have taken a liking to a girl that holds such a sought after power. Wielding the power of a tailed beast is truly commendable…too bad I still outrank you in every way." He sneered once more. "So what's your plan, huh? Attack me with all you have in an attempt to hold out until reinforcements arrive, or do you plan on attacking me alone and praying that I won't be all I make myself out to be?"

Hima wonders that herself, she had gotten this far, but what would her next course of action be. Then she feels it, a familiar chakra signature making it's way through the house, Hima turns towards the man just as Miyabi appears next to her. Deadly look on her face, she was ready to kill. She grabs a hold of the lance still imbedded in the wall and breaks it off at the blade.

"Heh, I knew you'd show up, still protecting him I see, Light." He grinned as his eyes narrowed on Miyabi.

"Shut your mouth! You have nothing to say to me of importance!" Miyabi booms. "For too long I've dreaded the moment you show your face to me again. Your betrayal will not go unpunished!" she was almost screaming now. Yuki could feel the impending battle weighing in the air. He had barely had time to think when Hima had acted. 'NOW YUKI!' her thoughts came screaming to him.

Yuki began to stand, just as he did, Hima came running at him, grabbing him up and pushing him towards the door leaving Miyabi and the mysterious man alone in the house. Miyabi never once taking her eyes off of him. That is until he starts to fade.

"Pity, I figured you'd know better than this Miyabi." The fading image of the man said.

Miyabi knew what he meant by that, "Yuki!"

Just outside of the house, Hima disperses the effects of the Kyuubi's chakra as her and Yuki begin running down the street. A ways off they stop, doubled over and panting trying to catch their breath, keeping close to the nearby stone wall for support.

"I hope…Miyabi knows….what she's…doing….." panted Hima.

"We need to get..help." said Yuki, breathing heavily himself.

"No, no need for that." Came a familiar voice.

Hima and Yuki both look at each other terrified. Suddenly Hima is thrown into a the stone wall with such force it cracks, she slides down to the ground motionless, blood streaming from each side of her mouth.

"HIMA!" Yuki screams as he slides on his knees to her side just as Ghost materializes

"What a shame, I fear I've killed her." He laughed a bit as he looked down at the blood now pooling under Hima. Turning his attention to Yuki, he can't help but get a kick out of how helpless he looks. "Well, it's been fun brat." He says, holding his right arm out. A blue aura appears from thin air, followed by a old fashioned sword appearing in his hand.

"Now, be a good kid and enjoy the afterlife for me…" he mutters as he pulls the sword back. A straight jab was what he was going for, and it was time to release it.

The point flies with blinding speed at Yuki, who can only watch, fear had gripped him. Not fear of death, fear that Hima was still alive and would have to go on without him, fear that she would never forgive him for not keeping his promise.

Just as he is about to give up all hope, something drives the man completely through the stone wall. Yuki's eye's widen, though he still can't get himself to move. Miyabi lands next to him from a roof top, then Mai to her right.

"Yuki, I need you to get Hima and go the Hokage Tower. We can handle ghost from here." Miyabi says as she watches Ghost emerge from the rubble.

Yuki doesn't budge, he can only look on confused. Where had Mai come from, why was Miyabi talking like she knew Ghost personally.

Mai notices Yuki hesitating, she quickly moves next to him and places a hand on his shoulder. "Yuki, please, Hima is hurt badly, she needs you right now. Please pull it together for her, Yuki."

Still nothing. "What…..what's going on…..why am I being targeted….."

"It can't be helped…He knows too much now." Miyabi sighs. "Yuki, I promise that I will explain every last detail to you later. Right now the girl you love is bleeding right infront of you" she says coldly as a blue aura surrounds her. "I didn't want to do this infront of him, but I have no other choice if we want to defeat Ghost…"

Miyabi is surrounded by a bright light, so bright that even Yuki in his fear stricken state has to cover his eyes. After a few seconds the light diminishes enough for Yuki to open his eye's again. Miyabi had changed, she was no longer wearing her typical flak jacket nor weapons pouch on her side. She now had armor plating covering most of her torso, steel gauntlets on each hand that went up mid way to the elbow. Her eye's had also begun to slightly glow white. In her left hand was a broad sword, it as completely while aside from the crimson red markings that went its whole length.

Yuki could only look on in astonishment. Then felt Mai start to shake him a little. "Yuki, please!" she was practically begging. "Hima is my friend too, please! We will take it from here!" she said as her eyess begun to glow red.

A million things are running through Yuki's mind at that moment. He wanted answers, he was so confused. Then, memories of him and Hima began to flood his mind, suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

Lifting himself up, he scoops Hima into his arms and cradles her lifeless body into his. "Mai…." Yuki started but Mai had rejoined Miyabi.

"Go Yuki, we'll catchup later!" Miyabi yelled as her and Mai launched through the hole in the stone wall a Ghost.

Yuki didn't waste a second. Bounding off through the streets, he made his way to the tower praying that he would make it before Himas condition worsened.


	9. Chapter 9: The Truth

**A/N:** I know I haven't been updating this like some of you would like, but I've been busier then ever lately. Money doesn't grow on tree's as we all would like it too, nor does it just randomly appear in our bank accounts...though that would be nice! With that being said, I ended up re-doing this chapter, and I still don't know if I like how it turned out, but I haven't updated in a while, so I'll have to make Ch10 that much better. Anyway, enough of me rambling on, hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always please overlook the grammar issues that I have, I was never a stand out student in school and may have missed a handful of lessons in grammar class...but yea, enjoy!

 **Chapter 9: The Truth**

*Beep*

Pain

*Beep*

Despair

*Beep*

Confusion

The beeping of the heart monitor was echoing in Yuki's head. He sat beside the hospital bed they had placed Hima in and was holding her left hand, he hadn't taken his eyes off of her for close to an hour. She had gotten so pale, yet you could have sworn she as just sleeping. Yuki knew she wasn't out of the woods, not by far.

Four broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a shattered shoulder, and multiple internal lesions to numerous organs. Whatever Ghost did, it was more than just a strong shove into the wall, he had done something that the naked eye couldn't see. The worst part about it, the kyuubi's chakra that was sealed inside of her wasn't helping speed up her recovery rate, which surprised Sakura, and in return scared Yuki even further.

He had been sitting by her side for what seemed like forever now, in reality, it had been an hour since she had come out of emergency surgery. The doctors really didn't want to comment on her situation to him, but from the look on Sakura's face when she would come in every fifteen minutes to check on her, it couldn't have been good.

Not only was he worried about Hima, but he was also terrified that something would happen to Miyabi and Mai. Sakura had reassured him that his sister could hold her own in any situation, and Yuki didn't doubt that, but was this just any old situation they had before them?

Plus on top of that, he was worried about Himas parents. Not long after he had gotten Hima to the hospital and Sakura sent out word of the attack had they showed up. He wasn't in the room with them, being made to wait outside in a waiting room while Sakura worked on Hima, but what he saw when Hinata left the room was still burned into his mind.

She wasn't her normal calm, cool, and collected self. Yuki could see the rage in her eyes, he could feel the air being choked out of him from the killer intent she emitted, her usual soft expression hardened by the sight of her youngest child in such a state. She had bounded for the door, and ran out, not once acknowledging Yuki. He knew what she had in mind, he only hoped she knew what she was doing.

He had heard a sigh not even a second after Hinata stormed from the room. He had turned to see Naruto approaching the door, a very unpleasant look upon his face, though he wasn't moving as fast as Hinata was, infact, before he reached the door he stopped and turned to face Yuki.

"Yuki, you have deepest gratitude. Thank you…" he said, Yuki could tell he was saying it through gritted teeth. "I swear I will make this guy relive what he put my daughter through and then some." He growled before he too exited the room. Just as he did, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning he saw Sakura standing behind him, as worried as ever.

"Come on Yuki, Hima is out of surgery. You can be by her side now." She said, her voice ragged, fearful expression across her face. Yuki could tell there was something she was hiding, but whatever it was, he prayed it didn't involve Hima. He needed her to make a fast recovery, he couldn't bare to see her in such a state.

His mind was moving at the speed of light it seemed, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation mentally about what had happened earlier. No matter how hard he tried though, he drew blanks. Who was that man, more so, what was he? What was the powers he was using? How did he know him and his sister?

His thoughts were interrupted by the door of the room opening and Sakura once again entering to check up on Hima. She passed Yuki, looking over at him to make sure he was okay, noting that he wouldn't take his eye's off of Hima.

"You know she isn't going to go anywhere, right? Why don't you just go get something to drink, or get some fresh air?" she asked, knowing he would do neither.

"I won't leave her side, not like this…" she said, emotion building in his voice. Sakura could see his determination to stay by the girl her loved, but at the same time she didn't want him running himself into the ground physically and mentally doing it either.

She sighed, but began checking over Hima once again. "I can't have you disregarding your own well-being either Yuki."

Yuki shook his head, "I don't care, Hima needs me!"

Sakura sighs, she could admire Yuki's decision not to leave her side, something she wish she had the luxury of when she was younger. A few seconds later she finished checking Hima, relieved that her condition was improving, only if slightly. She made her way from the Himas side and over to Yuki. She knelt down next to him and made him look at her.

"Yuki, Hima will be okay, in time she will be back to her feet and just like her old self again. You just need to give it time. Stop beating yourself up over something you had no control over."

She stopped when Yuki turned his face and looked away, she could feel it. Though rather then drag on, she felt that she had said what she needed to say. She stood up, grabbed his shoulder, but then released it and left him alone with Hima.

The rest of the day went by, Yuki stayed by Himas side, not once moving. Night had set upon Konoha, and Yuki had succumbed to exhaustion. He had his head buried into the side of the bed next to Hima, though in his hands he clutched onto a kunai.

From outside the room, Miyabi peered in, hoping like hell Yuki would use common judgement before swinging away with that Kunai if he was woken up. Though at the same time she was glad that he was taking precautions, seeing as Ghost had managed to escape, no telling when the next time was he would show his face, and just thinking about it enraged Miyabi beyond words.

"Whoa, don't spike your chakra like that, Miyabi…not when I'm trying to heal you…" Sakura said, holding her hand surrounded by a green orb over Miyabi's back, "You know he takes after you…" she says after a few more seconds.

"I know…" she said but stopped, he really did take after her, something she didn't like at all.

After a few more moments, Sakura had removed her arm from Miyabi's back. "You strained yourself too hard, anymore and you could have ripped ligaments apart, not to mention the damage it could have caused to your muscles."

"It was a necessary gamble…Ghost is no one to take lightly" she all but spat. She turned to look at the pink haired woman, "He killed everyone I ever loved in my life BUT Yuki. I've rebuilt what I could, and for Yukis sake kept him as far away from the past we ran away from to give him a fighting chance at having a life worth remembering…I won't let Ghost come in and take it away from me….nor him…..nor Hima."

Sakura had known about Miyabi's and Yuki's past since Naruto had told her, more so she forced Naruto to tell her. What Miyabi had done, and was doing, was nothing short of love for her younger brother. Yet, Sakura wondered just how long Miyabi could keep the secret of their past from him. Not only that, but she worried how Yuki would take it.

"He's a strong boy, Miyabi. He's determined, and deeply cares for Hima…." She pauses, but then looks Miyabi in the eyes with a new found strength. "But Kami help me, if Ghost thinks the Konoha will just lay down and take him beating on one of our own, let alone the daughter of the hokage then he has another thing coming!" she all but shouts as she turns and storms down the hall, leaving Miyabi there, sweatdropping.

"The hell was that…" she murmured.

Sighing, she looked to the ground. Only to look back up through the cracked door at Hima and Yuki. She slowly closed it, making sure it latched, then back up against the opposite wall. She could do nothing in there, but she could stand guard in the hall.

* * *

He knew he had fallen asleep, and he was silently cursing himself for it. Yet it felt good to get some rest, though what didn't feel good was that it was freezing cold, so cold that it penetrated deep down into his bones. Though something else caught his attention, he couldn't hear the beeping of the heart monitor anymore.

His eye's shot open and his head flew up, he looked at Hima, and to his surprise the heart monitor had been cut off, and all of the wires that were previously attached to her were no longer visible. He could also hear her breathing, but was she really out of the woods yet? Had the Kyuubi finally kicked in and helped her recover speed up.

Still, the room was freezing, but he soon found out why. Out of the corner of his eye, he say something falling from the sky from the window. Turning his attention to it, he was shocked to see it snowing, and all of Konoha was covered in a few inches of it!

"Almost makes you want to go outside and play it in doesn't it?" came a familiar voice from behind him, which scared him half to death. He turned to see Naruto standing in the door way, looking at Hima. "Sakura said as soon as Hima wakes up she can go home." He turns his attention to Yuki. "I want to thank you for what you've done for her Yuki."

Yuki turns his head to look away from Naruto, he didn't want to bring that subject up at all right now, and Naruto picked up on it. "Miyabi and Mai?"

"Both are at home resting.." Naruto started, but was cut off by Yuki.

"And Ghost?" Yuki said as he turned to look at Naruto, but the expression he got was what he dreaded.

Naruto simply shook his head, "He got away, before I could join the fight he managed to slip past the rather large group he was in combat with and disappeared."

Yuki clenched his fist, rage inside of him beginning to reach levels he had rarely seen before. "He won't get away with this…"

Naruto nodded, "Indeed he won't," he said as he started to make his way towards Yuki. "But, there is one major difference between you and him Yuki."

Yuki looks up to Naruto just as he nears him, what was Naruto going to say? Did he know something about Ghost that he wasn't telling Yuki?

Naruto puts his hand on Yuki's shoulder and bends down near him. "The difference is…" a menacing smile spreads across Naruto's face. "…Ghost will live….and you will burn in HELL!"

Just as the last words exit his mouth, Yuki feels a white hot pain in his abdomen, he can feel his life begin to exit him as the blood begins to pour. Every voice in his mind now screamed for him to look down. As he looked, he saw a sword buried to the hilt in his stomach just as he begins to crumple to the floor.

He caught a glimpse of the man in front of him on the way down, and the image of Ghost was now burned into his eyes. He had been tricked, Ghost had used a Hinge to sneak past hospital security just to kill him. Now, all he could register was a loud screaming as everything turned to black.

The screaming echoed in his head, until finally it was overcome by a familiar beeping, then a sensation of being shook. Suddenly his eyes shot open, every nerve in his body was firing off. HE could hear the heart monitor again, and he could also feel someone griping his shoulder.

Instinct took over, he launched from the chair so hard it sent it flying across the room. He positioned himself between Hima and whoever was behind him. IT took him a minute to focus, his breathing extremely elevated, chakra network in overdrive, the Kunai he had been gripping before he fell asleep was now pointed towards the person intended to kill. Finally, after a few seconds, his eyes focused on a familiar face.

Standing behind him was Hinata, "Yuki, you were screaming, is everything ok?" asks Hinata, clearly worried. It took Yuki a moment, and every ounce of strength in his body to calm himself enough to allow his arm holding the kunai to fall to his side. As it did, the kunai slipped out of his grasp and landed on the floor.

There were so many thoughts running through his head at that very moment. His head was beginning to hurt from all that was happening. The only logical explanation he had for what had happened was just the worst nightmare of all. Still, if felt all too real for him.

Hinata approached him, she grabbed both of his hands into hers which proved to calm Yuki down further. "Yuki, what's wrong?" she questioned further.

After a moment of deep breathing, Yuki could finally manage a few words out, "Ghost…..I saw him in my dreams…"he looked at Hinata, she could see the fear in his eye's. "He killed me in my dreams, telling me the difference between me and him was that I was to burn in hell while he was to live…" he recounted, now he could feel tears in his eyes.

Hinata released his hands and threw her arms around him, "Yuki, don't you ever believe that! No one, and I mean no one in Konoha is going to let him get his hands on you!" she released him, but kept her hands on his shoulders. "You hear me? Ghost messed up when he attacked you within Konoha, but he really messed up when he attacked my daughter. The whole of Konoha is on your side now Yuki, and Ghost knows it."

"But why…why me? Why is he coming after me? I don't understand any of this!" he all but yelled. The girl he loved was lying in the bed behind him in serious condition all because some guy he had ever met before was coming to kill him, for what, that's what Yuki didn't know.

Hinata sighed, if Miyabi hadn't told him yet, then she was going to. She was the Hokage's wife after all, and in most cases the stand-in for him when he was on official business out of the village. She could think of no better time then now to tell him what she knew.

She sighed, "Yuki…" she turned around and grabbed the chair and set it back up by the bed "Sit down, there's something important we need to talk about right now, involving Ghost."

Yuki did as he was told, albeit a few seconds to get himself together to move. As he sat in the chair Hinata sat at the edge of Himas bed, she now bent over and looked Yuki in his eyes, which Yuki could see the worry in hers.

"What I am about to tell you was sworn into secrecy by my husband years ago, only to be discussed when the time was right, or when the appropriate people deemed fit." She took a deep breath. "Yuki, you are not a son of Konoha, you and your sister were born in the Land of Waves, and escaped certain death by the hands of Ghost to Konoha…"

Yuki was now confused, he had no idea what she was talking about, "what do you mean I'm not really from Konoha, I've lived here my entire life! My parents died here! There are photos of me when I was a little baby! Of course I'm from Konoha."

Hinata shook her head. "No you aren't Yuki. Infact, any memory you had from when you grew up in Waves was erased, we even had a memory fabricated of your parents death Yuki, all to protect _you_ from your past. To put it bluntly, since just before you were enrolled into the academy, you've been living a lie…"

"Protect me from my past? What is there to protect…" then he remembered. A vision of Miyabi changing into what looked to be a suit of armor before he ran away with the injured Hima, how she told him that she would explain everything to him. There had to be some validity in what Hinata was saying, and if it was true, his heart was breaking worse then it was.

"….he did it, didn't he?" his head had fallen, but now he picked it up to look at Hinata, sorrow written across his face. "Ghost killed my parents…didn't he? Now he want's to finish the job…"

"To put it shortly, yes…but what he hadn't counted on was your sister, Yuki, your sister out of shear love and determination braved her injuries and harsh weather to bring you to Konoha and plead for safety. I was there when she arrived at the gate, she was covered in blood, she was weak from exhaustion, yet she had two of the guards who oversee the gate backed against a wall." She grinned a little, "I'll never forget that sight, anyway, me and my husband took you in and made sure that you were well looked after. That's when he had Miyabi explain to him every last detail about you two and your arrival here, from that we hatched a plan."

"…erase my memory…" Yuki said in a low tone, taking in all of this new information.

"Not quite," she said as she straightened up on the bed. "See memories can't be totally erased, rather then erase them, they were sealed away deep in your subconscious, but not before my husband could gather as much information as he could from your past, and about Ghost. He made anyone who was involved with your safe harbor swear to never speak of any of it to or around you unless absolutely necessary. Yuki….I'm sorry if this changes how you feel for Konoha, or for anyone else here." She takes he hands again, "But please know, Konoha is your home now. There are countless people here who want to help you, and there are people here who need you." She stops and looks back at Hima. "She needs you…"

Hinata could see Yuki processing all of this new information, she wondered if she was right to have told him without consenting with her husband first. Suddenly Yuki stood up from the chair, looked around the room a few times, than back to Hima, after another few seconds he clenches his fist and turns towards the door. Just as Hinata is about to stop him, he snatches the door open and runs out. Rather then follow him and make a bad situation worse, she chooses to stay with her daughter, hoping what she said doesn't make Yuki go and do something stupid.

Out in the hall Yuki heads for the door to the outside world, one thing on his mind. Everything else before now didn't matter, Ghost had taken away everything he loved in his life, Yuki was going to get payback. There was only one thing in his way, literally.

"Where do you think you're going?" spat Miyabi a split second after she appeared in a blur between him and the door.

"Move Miyabi…" Yuki said, not stopping.

"What, you just going to throw your life away against a man who is centuries ahead of you in terms of skill and power? You're gonna have to go through me first, gaki." She said, narrowing her eye's at Yuki. She had a feeling that Hinata had told him something to get him this riled up.

Yuki stops in his tracks, narrowing his gaze at Miyabi, "HE killed our parents Miyabi…Now he wants to finish the job! I'm not gonna let him kill you nor anyone else I care about!"

"And I'm not gonna let him kill you either Yuki!" She all but screamed. "Don't you think if _I_ could kill him that I would have done it myself by now to save you the pain and hurt of having to deal with him?!" She clenched her fists. "I swear to Kami, if you even think about going to track him down I will drag you back kicking and screaming. You're the only family I have left and I will be DAMNED if I'm going to watch you throw your life away Yuki!"

Yuki doesn't move, Miyabi guess's he was planning his next move, wondering just have determined he was.

"Look," she starts but pauses, "I promise you that we will get our revenge Yuki. You just need to give it time…" She wondered to herself weather that would even be possible, but right now she was trying anything she could to calm Yuki down. "You need to be stronger if you want to have a chance in hell to even fight him. You saw what he did to Hima…and you know what she possesses!"

She watches his head hang just a bit, his fists clenched. It takes him a moment to even speak.

"What else…" he says but pauses for a moment. "Hinata told me where we were from and how we got here….." his head shoots up and he stares daggers through Miyabi "What else is there that she didn't tell me!" he demands.

Miyabi sighs, knowing that Yuki took the bait, though just how long could she keep him from running blind into a one sided fight? She points back to the door Yuki had just come out of, "Go back in the room and I will tell you everything, exactly why Ghost want's you dead…"

Yuki hesitates, but then does as Miyabi says and turns around, heading for the door. She buries her face in her hands trying to control herself, wondering if her sanity would stay intact. She lifts her head from her hands and looks down the hall to her left to see Naruto leaning against the wall staring at her, she knew he had heard everything.

He nods to her, then vanishes in a blur, as if to give her his permission to do what she was about to do.

"Kami, help me through this…" she says as she starts towards the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** So I was rather bored, and decided to type, a fair amount actually. Anyway, here is Ch10, as always please ignore the scathing grammar mistakes and stupid mess I missed. I am slowly but surely starting to get just a tad bit better...yea probably not. I know things are moving a bit to fast, rather quickly if you will, but after the coming Time Skip in ch11 it will start to slow down a considerable amount. Anyway, enough of my yapping, enjoy guys!

 **Chapter 10- The Pain of Leaving**

He sat upon the roof, too many questions and not enough answers to satisfy his mind. It had been almost a week since Ghost appeared and turned his world upside down and inside out. Hima was, according to medical science, still in a coma. Though Sakura had insisted that she was starting to come back around, noting she responded to some of the test she administered to her.

Ko had come around, even standing guard outside of Hima's room for a few nights. She had felt bad that she wasn't there to help them that day, practically begging Miyabi and Naruto for their forgiveness, but there was nothing to forgive really, she couldn't have predicted anything that had happened.

Even Mai stopped by to check on Hima, even bringing Yuki something to eat on occasions. They would talk, but it would be short conversations, neither one of them bringing up what had happened. They simply didn't want to relive it. Though Yuki was still grateful that Mai came out of the fight unharmed, something he wish would have been the case for Hima.

There was still the weight of what Miyabi had told him on his shoulders still. If what she was saying was true, then were they any differences between them and who ever held a tail beast inside of them?

 **FLASHBACK**

He sat back in the chair next to Himas bed, Hinata had stood up and walked to the window, it was still dark outside, but the morning light was beginning to show on the horizon. Miyabi had decided to lean on the door, more so to keep Yuki from running out again, atleast this time she had Hinata to help her incase Yuki made a run for it.

Yuki was facing Miyabi, eyeing her closely, Miyabi was trying to get her thoughts together as precisely as she could. She dreaded this day worse than even having to face Ghost again, all she worked so hard to keep a secret from him was now shot to shit.

Finally she sighs, "Yuki, Hinata told you that ghost killed our parents then tried to kill you, but I managed to sneak away with you and made it to Konoha, right?"

Yuki nods, "Yea…"

"Well do you know why he killed our parents and tried to kill you? How he thought I was dead but I tricked him and when his back was turned I grabbed you up and ran for our lives? What I've fought so hard to keep secret for so long regarding what's inside you and I, not to mention Mai?"

Was Yuki ready to hear what she was going to say? Did he really want to know the reasons behind his life being turned upside down? "No…" he choked out.

Miyabi hung her head a bit, it was going to take all she could muster to recount what had happened, and all that very well might happen in the future.

"Yuki, around the time I was born the Land of Waves discovered an artifact hidden deep under the surface of one of the villages. Rather than make a public announcement about its findings for fear that it could be stolen, top officials ordered it to be hidden again, though where it was hidden was largely argued. That is until our parents came into play…" she paused for a moment. "The artifact had changed hands a few times, until it somehow ended up in our parent's hands. That's when those who knew of the artifact, a crystal if you will, learned that within was trapped different forms of chakra, though no one knew for sure why it was trapped there."

Yuki was lost, a crystal was the reason behind Ghost wanting them dead?

"Needless to say, someone ordered an experiment done. A shard from the crystal was to be implanted into a volunteer for the sole purpose of testing the effects of the chakra within the shard on the human chakra networks. The test was an overall success, the person who possessed the shard saw an increase of mental and physical capacity of up to fifty percent, and as time went on, that capacity grew, so another test was ordered…" Miyabi said as she clenched her fists.

"You...you were the next test…" Yuki finally realized.

"Yea…but instead of using a shard from the part of the crystal that contained the majority of chakra, they used a lesser shard, though the results were same, the shard dematerialized into my blood stream…what happened next surprised everyone. No one knew it, but the piece of a soul was trapped in that shard, that it became part of me. I was only 6 when the experiment was done to me, but by the next experiment, they had totally thrown the former test subject under the rug. I had far surpassed expectations, mainly because I inherited the powers of the soul that was trapped inside of me, but I still couldn't surpass physically and combatively the previous subject, but was told within time I would."

Even Hinata hadn't heard any of what Miyabi was talking about now, but she was all ears. Anything she could learn could prove to be helpful in the future.

"Then…the next experiment, taking two shards from the core of the crystal and fusing it with the subjects heart, though they realized that one of the subjects had a heart abnormality, they decided to use a lesser shard, the girl got the lesser shard, but the boy got the core shard…."she looked up at Yuki. "The shard attached to your heart almost killed you, but what they got out of the experiments was exactly what they wanted…A new weapon."

Yuki was speechless, before the lie he had lived for so long he was nothing more than an experiment? He and his sister were basically escaped lab rats, this made him feel lower then dirt, was there really a purpose in his life when he was born other than to be some mutated lab experiment?

"After some years, and with the two last experiments proving to be huge successes, new information about the crystal surfaced that drove the group that did the experiments into two sides. Ancient text was discovered and outlined how the completed core of the crystal could be used to wield power beyond what anyone could ever imagine. IF the right person had it in their hands they could rid the world of any wrong, but on the same token, if the wrong person had it in their hands…..they could end the world…"

"This is where Ghost comes into play…right?" asks Hinata from behind Yuki, noting he was just staring off into space.

Miyabi nods. "Hai, it was evening time at our house. My parents and the two of us were sitting down to dinner when it happened. What was a peaceful meal turned into pure hell in the blink of an eye. An explosion all but blew our home apart, I was pinned under a beam until my father was able to find me and lift if off of me. He had found Yuki, who was alive, and my mother….but she didn't survive the blast." She said as a tear rolled down her eye's. "That's when Ghost showed up and demanded that my father turn over Yuki. When he refused, he was cut almost in half, quicker than my eye's could pick up on it. That sent me into a blind rage, I can't recall what happened after that, but when I came back too, Ghost was now fighting someone who had him pinned down, if not for a moment. That gave me the chance I needed to grab Yuki and run, and run I did. I didn't stop until I had reached the Land of Fire. I was hurt bad and bleeding from spots, I was dehydrated and starving…."

"Yet you still gave those guards a run for their money." Hinata said with a smile.

Miyabi grinned at it too "Those two jackasses wouldn't even let me inside the gate until someone from the Hokage Tower was present, so when Hinata arrived, she saw firsthand what I was capable of doing. One of the guards was lying on his stomach clutching his…..well I'll let you decide on that one, and the other I had by the collar against the wall with a kunai to his throat. Hinata managed to talk me down out of my rage and took us both to the hospital. After a few nights and with you still in a coma, we decided that it was best to lock your memories deep within to protect you from the past. That's when Naruto sent a party to recover the bodies of our parents, and whatever else they could find that would be helpful. They learned who had helped us escape, Mai had appeared and kept asking about us, but she was turned away, she finally blurted out to one of them that she was the sole reason that we had escaped, though they didn't want to believe a girl so young would have been able to do that. Fast forward to present time, she found her way here to us, and so did Ghost…." she finished, taking a long breath of air, waiting on Yuki to react, but her sat motionless staring off into space.

A moment later he blinked, then lurched forward and vomited on the floor. Miyabi cringed just a little at hearing him vomiting. "Well, he's taking it better than I expected…" she said sarcastically.

It takes Yuki a moment to collect himself, as he lifts up, Hinata hands him a tissue to wipe his mouth which he takes. A second later he looks up at Miyabi. "This shard…..what did it do to me?"

"Well…do you know the meaning of your name?" she asks him.

"Of course I do!" he spat "There's two meanings, one is Happiness, the other is…"

"Snow…" she cuts him off. "You weren't named until after the experiment Yuki….the reason being is that the shard that they implanted into you held an ice type chakra. A day or so after the operation it became clear what your chakra affinity was due to the influence of the shard. So they finally named you Yuki."

Yuki was trying to think of another question to ask, but did he want to hear more? Did he want to know more about his life as a science experiment, or would he just rather go back to the lie he was living, which in reality, seemed a whole lot better than the life he was taken from.

"Look, I can understand if you hate me, I can understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore since I've kept your past from you and kept who you really were away from you, but I did it to protect you Yuki. I did it hoping and praying everyday that the past wouldn't come back to bite us, that you would live the rest of your life happy, without ever having to deal with what we both ran away from.

Was he really mad at Miyabi? No, how could he, she risked her life to provide him a life that was worth living, how could he have lived as a experiment? Miyabi had saved him, fought off the past as best she could.

"No…" Yuki stood, this made Miyabi straighten up. "How can I be mad at you? I would rather live this lie then live as an experiment. You've given me a fighting chance at having a life, you risked it all to see me live on happily." He clenches his fists. "I will not let Ghost take this life from me this time!

 **END FLASHBACK**

He sighed, the path of life before him was going to be a long and hard one, that was for sure. He just hoped he could navigate it, along with anyone else who chose to walk it along with him.

He stared up at the clouds above, somewhere under this blue sky, someone was having the greatest time of their life, not a care in the world. Someone was being blessed with all that they could ever wish for, while he sat there contemplating his revenge.

He had a lot on his plate today, though sitting there was all he really wanted to do. HE had been so stressed out lately that he didn't know what he was going to do with himself once things started to calm down and get back to normal.

Though up on this roof, things were calm and peaceful. That is until someone else joined him, that's when he knew his peace and calm were over for the day. Appearing in a cloud of smoke and taking a seat next to him a familiar face, one that he came to admire over the past year or so.

Hanabi sat next to him, pulling her legs to her chest and looking up at the clouds along with Yuki. "How are you feeling Yuki?" she asked after a moment.

"I'm better off than your niece is if that's what you're asking." He says, trying not to sound bothered.

Hanabi laughs just a bit, "That's for sure, they are expecting her to wake up and time now. I'm sure you'll be relieved when she finally does wake up." She says as she turns to face him.

Yuki could never get past her eyes, they were pale, just like Hinata's, yet he always wondered if she could see right down into the depths of his soul. She always had this standoffish yet gentle side to her, he had only ever seen her mad once from the few times he and her interacted.

"Yea…" Yuki finally said, returning his gaze to the clouds, as did Hanabi.

"So….you ready to get this over with?" she asks him.

Truthfully, he wasn't, he didn't want to even think about what he was about to do, no more so what he was all but being forced to do. Without a second though, he forces himself to stand up. "Better go now before I change my mind…"

She smiles at him, but then takes his outreached hand. He lifts her to her feet as she straightens out her kimono. She then places a hand on his shoulder and looks him right in the eyes. "You'll do fine, I'll be right next to you, and so will Naruto. There's nothing at all to worry about, the council is on your side Yuki, especially since that guy screwed up and put my niece in such a state."

Before Yuki can say anything, they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Not far away from where Yuki and Hanabi had disappeared, Mai appeared in the light of day from the shadows. She had decided that it was in the best interest of everyone if she stuck close to him these past few days without any knowledge of it, just incase something happened, which was the last thing anyone wanted right now was there to be another attack.

Though she got the surprise of her life when she felt a gust of wind from behind her. She turned her head, very slowly, visibly shaking. To her relief it was just Miyabi.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?!" Mai yelled as Miyabi started laughing at the expression on her face.

It took Miyabi a few seconds to compose herself, "Oh that expression was priceless Mai." After a few seconds and a bout of her clearing her throat. "But really, may I ask why you're spying on my brother?"

"I wasn't spying!" Mai spat. "I'm just keeping a close eye on him beyond the shadows."

"So spying."

Mai growled and clenched her fists. "I WASN'T SPYING DAMNIT!"

"Then why have you been following him around like a stalker for the past few days?" Miyabi asks, she knows full well why Mai has been following him around, she just wants to hear it with her own ears.

"Look, Yuki is Ghosts main target right? What makes you think Ghost won't try anything in broad daylight like he did last time, only this time Yuki was alone….well not really because I was here, but I don't want to lose the man I truly love…" she stopped and slamed both of her hands to her mouth, her face was turning bright red.

Miyabi thought she was going to die. "I KNEW IT!" she all but yelled. "Don't let Hima hear you say that Mai, she'd grind you to dust if you tried to come in between her and Yuki."

"I-i-i- I didn't mean it like that, I swear…I-i…" she stammered, but Miyabi knew it. Hell she was sure Hima could figure it out two. Mai had a definite crush on Yuki.

The blonde was still stammering when Miyabi broke her though train about how she could use the information against Mai to have just a little bit of fun with the girl. Finally she held her hand out and plopped it down on Mai's head.

"Mai, there's nothing wrong with it at all, things like this happen. Sometimes you just have to listen to your heart to do what's best for you." She leans down to Mai and begins to whisper. "Truthfully, theres a bunch of information I've been with-holding from Yuki about a certain "Clan Regeneration" law on the books here in Konoha…..who knows, you may get your wish after all." She says with a wink.

Mai blinks curiously for a moment, pondering what Miyabi had just told her. "R-Really?"

"Yup, you just have to give it time." She says followed by a sigh. "I'm sure that he won't like what Naruto is going to tell him, and believe me I don't like it either. Plus I can almost guarantee that you won't like what I'm about to tell you either….but…."

 **In the Council Meeting Room**

"No! Hell no! I won't agree to it!" Yuki said as he slammed his fist on the table infront of him.

He was standing infront of the heads of every clan in the village, not to mention Naruto and Hanabi. Plus there were individuals of the civilian factor of the village present as well, though what they just told him their plans were and Yuki wanted no part in it.

"We feel that it's in the best interest of the village i…" one of them spoke, but was cut off by Naruto.

"We will not make Yuki feel as if he is a considerate threat to the village. It's his choice to make," Naruto cut in, very agitated by what the man had said. "Though, I must give you my opinion on this matter Yuki. Ghost attacked not only you, but my daughter, who also happens to be the girl you love, is she not?"

Yuki nodded, "She is, but what you're telling me to do is…"

"You value her well-being over anything else, am I correct?" Naruto pressed on.

"I do, bu…"

"All we ask is 3 years Yuki, 3 years out of your whole life. When it's all over with then the rest of your life is yours. I'm sure you don't want to drag Hima into this more then she already has been…"

Yuki wanted to say how much he hated Naruto right now for what they were considering, but that last part of what he said was echoing around in his ears.

"3 years…" Yuki repeated what he had heard earlier. "3 Years away training, 3 years away learning as much as I can about my inner powers…..3 years with Hima not knowing where I'm at?!" he shouted at the end letting everyone there know he was rather upset, no he was pissed.

"I have a plan for that actually." Naruto began, but Yuki threw up a hand.

"I swear if the words, "tell her you didn't make it and fake my death" leave your mouth I will leave this room and forcefully decline whatever you're planning!" he yelled.

"You watch your mouth in the presence of the Hokage!" one of the clan heads, an Aburame Yuki gathered, stood and scolded.

"Can it bug boy, he's obviously under a lot of stress right now, his actions and comments are nothing short of the typical response anyone would give in a situation like this I assure you." Said the man sitting next to Naruto, one Yuki recognized as an Uchiha.

"You're one to talk, traitor." The Aburame shouted.

"ENOUGH!" Naruto shouted as he spiked his chakra, causing the temperature in the room to drop a few degrees. "As if the situation isn't bad enough you have to argue? I understand his frustrations and how he is feeling right now, most of you should know for a fact that I found myself in his shoes once or twice before, but we will not….NOT….bring up another council members past in this room unless I feel it needs to be the topic of the meeting, do I make myself clear?"

A collective "Hai, Hokage-sama" filled the room.

Naruto was now rubbing his head, trying to alieve what seemed to be a headache.

"Yuki….I wasn't going to fake your death or anything like that to Hima. I was going to explain to her the sole reasoning behind you leaving and then tell her very carefully that you _WILL_ be coming back…believe me if I could send her with you then I would, but with her current physical and medical state, that is not an option, and I feel the longer we wait to act, the less time we have before Ghost arrives again…"

What was he going to do? Three years he would be gone without Hima, 3 years Hima would be without him. He was sure that if what the Hokage had planned didn't kill him that Hima surely would when ever it as that he got back.

After a moment of serious consideration, and taking into account that Hima was in her current state due to his newly found situation and Ghost's interest in it, he very reluctantly agreed to it in his head, though there were a few stipulations he wanted granted first.

"Fine." He shouted. "I'll go along with it, under 3 conditions. If I can't get these conditions approved I won't do it!"

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" Naruto asked, knowing whole heartedly that there were bound to be a few of those requests he just couldn't promise to him.

"First, I want you to inform me when Hima wakes up, plus on top of that if anything dire happens to her I want you to inform me so I can return to her side. Second, you will not tell Hima where it is that I have gone, she will surely come to look for me. Third, I want Mai to keep an eye on her for me, I would feel safer if someone that shares my current…..condition…were to assure her safe being."

Naruto pondered the conditions for a moment, really, he couldn't agree more to those terms. "I agree to your conditions Yuki…" He continued to talk but Yuki had tuned him out. I was going to be really hard for him to go through with this, but if it meant that Hima would be safer in the long run then he could think of no better way.

 **Back on the roof**

"ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY?! HIMA IS GOING TO FLIP WHEN SHE FINDS THIS OUT!" Mai yelled. She too was clearly upset at this news.

"Calm down Mai, it's only for 3 years. Besides, that's three years you don't have to worry about Ghost showing his ugly face here. Me and Yuki will be fine, and I promise we are going to come back." Miyabi said, trying to get Mai to calm herself.

"I still don't think it's a good idea!" she shouted.

Miyabi narrowed her gaze at Mai, which sent chills down her spine. "Mai, you're forgetting that the little Yuki learned about his powers before we made our escape to this village is now locked away in his mind right?" she asks, continuing when Mai nods her head. "3 years is the minimum it would take me to train him to harness the power that's inside of him, any longer and we risk Ghost finally finding out where we are, if not coming after one of you here and using you as a pawn to get to Yuki." She places a hand on Mai's shoulder. "Trust me, nothing will happen to him, hell." She started to grin. "It might even drive you and Hima to train harder to impress him once he returns...which is when we planned on telling him about a certain law I just mentioned to you."

What Miyabi had said burned into Mai's mind. There was a chance that Yuki would see her as more then a friend after all, it just pained her that she was being forced once again to be separated from him for such a long time, though she knew it was for the best. She just wondered how Hima would take it when she finally woke up and learned Yuki was gone.

"What about Hima?" Mai finally asked.

"Hima's a strong girl, in time she will come to understand that this decision was for the best, it's not like she won't see him ever again. I made sure Naruto would explain that to her when she finally did wake up." Miyabi sighed. "It's you that I'm worried about, Mai."

Mai was struck by what Miyabi said, now she confused, trying to figure out just why Miyabi would say that. "Me? Why are you worried about me?"

"I mean just look at you Mai, you are every boys dream aside from Hima! If looks could Kill Mai, you'd be locked up for slaying half the village by now!" Miyabi said with a genuine smile. "Guys are sure to be all over you with Yuki out of the picture, since you hung around him so much, guys tended to not bother you for fear they might cross the line with Yuki or something, but since we will be gone for a while…there's no stopping them."

Mai was blushing just as hard as she was moments ago now.

"But I'm sure you will have no problems brushing them away, though, you never know. You may find someone that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside just like Yuki does, hell, maybe even more then Yuki does." Miyabi said with a slight giggle.

Miyabi was trying to hold back from busting out laughing, Mai looked like she was thoroughly disgusted at that thought, she knew Mai had it set in her heart that Yuki was the one that she wanted, though Mai was late since Hima had staked her claim.

"Oh come on Mai, I'm just teasing you." She mused. "Or am I?" she said following it with a maniacal laugh.

Mai was losing her mind, thinking about all those weird guys coming up to her asking all kinds of personal questions that she really didn't have answers for she knew. She was so lost in her train of thought that she didn't realize she was swatting at Miyabi as if she was trying to swat someone away from her.

Miyabi looked on a bit dumbfounded, "Gee, I think I may have broken her mind…" she said, her facial expression as blank as a piece of paper.

 **Next day-3 P.M.**

Yuki was standing beside her bed, captivated by her beauty. Even though she was in such a state, she still somehow managed to take his breath away. It's as if she gave off a light of her own that managed to brighten the room. She was still in a coma, and it pained Yuki beyond what words could describe that he wouldn't be there for her when she woke up, nor while she was recovering.

All the time he would miss away from her, missing just how strong she would get, he knew she would probably hate him, and he couldn't blame her, he hated himself right now for even agreeing to go along with the plans that were laid out for him, but if that meant she would be safer without him around for a while, then he knew it had to be the right thing to do, her safety was his top concern.

He lifted his hand from his side and placed it on her face, her warmth radiated into him, he wanted so bad to stay, it was tearing his heart apart. Tears were falling form his face now and splattering the ground beneath him.

"I know you can't hear me Hima, and I know you're gonna hate me for what I'm about to do….but I love you…" his sobs were now becoming audible. "I'll always love you….and I promise….I promise I will come back. So please…..please for the love of Kami wait for me…." He cries out, his hand still caressing her cheek.

After a moment he leans down and kisses her on her forehead. "I love you Hima….please take care of yourself….I'll be back as soon as I can…" he whispers to her.

After another moment of trying to think of a way out of this, maybe even a way that he could bring her with him, he forces himself to turn around. Now facing a tearful Hinata, and Miyabi who looked like she was fighting the tears back herself, she held a backpack in her hands along with one thrown over her shoulder.

Yuki turned his head away from them, wiping the tears from his face with the sleeve of his shirt, he reached out and grabbed the backpack from Miyabi and made his way to the door. "Come on MIyabi, I don't want to risk her waking up before I leave the village…."

"Yuki…" Hinata muttered. All too well she knew what her daughter was going to go through when she woke up, and she felt for Yuki also. She had begged her husband to come up with a better plan, but in the end he convinced her that there was no other plan, even going as far and promising that nothing was going to happen to Yuki.

The worst part about it is, she knew where they were going, but Hima was to be left in the dark about it, and Hinata was to play dumb and act like she doesn't know where they went, though Naruto knew he was going to be the focus of Hima's hate for a while, it still pained Hinata.

Miyabi had started to exit behind Yuki, but stopped when she way that Hinata herself was on the verge of a breakdown. "If you're worried about Yuki somehow giving up on Hima, or not coming home then don't. I'll make sure the little bonehead doesn't do anything stupid." She said smiling. "Take care of yourself and the little princess over there." she said with a uppity tone, then exits the room.

Hinata took a deep breath, trying to fight back turning into a tearful mess for her daughter. Yuki had a long road ahead of him and she hoped he took care of himself. Hima herself had a long road too, yet somehow she felt Hima's would last long then Yuki's, which worried her even more.

* * *

On their way to the gate, nothing was said. Yuki wasn't in a talkative mode, and neither was Miyabi. All those years of fighting to keep Yuki from his past was now swirling down the drain, and here they were again, running away from their problems, or so it felt.

As they reached the gates they were met by three people. Naruto, Sasuke, and Mai.

Yuki wondered why the Uchiha was present, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered at this point, his life was completely screwed up at the moment for him to give a damn. HE almost didn't notice Mai approaching him as he inwardly scolded himself.

The blonde stood before Yuki, noticing he still had tears welling up in his eyes. "Yuki….I…I wish there was something I could do! I know you feel helpless right now, and I know inside you're beating yourself up…and it's killing me because I know the source of your pain yet there's nothing I can do to help."

She was right, and Yuki knew it, though she was wrong about something. It took Yuki a second to conjure the words.

Lifting his head, he looks deep into Mai's eye's, "No, there is something you can do Mai…" he spoke softly.

He knew Naruto and Hinata would die to make sure that Hima was safe and sound while he was gone, but that wasn't enough for him. Mai was the closest thing to family he was going to have left in this village after he left, and it settled his heart if just a little that she would also be there to watch over Hima.

Mai had no idea what he was talking about, what did he have in mind? Was he going to ask her to join him on this trip? Her heart fluttered just thinking about it, but the chances of that were slim she knew. "Anything Yuki."

"Keep an eye on Hima for me…" he half sobbed out, emotion starting to leak out again.

Mai's heart sank, she was right, Yuki's heart was set on Hima and she was sure there was no room in it for her. Rather than let the disappointment show on her face. She simply nodded and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "Nothing will happen to _Whiskers_ Yuki, I'll see to it"

Hearing Mai call Hima by her nickname made Yuki laugh just a little through his emotion, but it was quickly stifled. "Oh what the hell am I doing." he let out. "Hima's going to fucking kill me when I get back! How am I going to face her again, Mai?"

He was way to insecure about this, Mai was well aware of that. She could also agree with Yuki's last statement, Hima would very-well put Yuki within a inch of his life when he does return…that is if he returns.

Mai pushes all of her anxiety aside, and finds courage deep inside. She grabs up both of Yuki's hands into hers and looks into his eye's, seemingly staring right down into the depths of his soul. "You just make sure you come home…baka Yuki!"

Just as she is about to release his hands she leans forward and kisses him softly on his cheek. After she pulls away she starts to turn several shades of red, then disappears in a swirl of clouds and dust, leaving Yuki standing there bewildered. Mai had managed to break the despair in his mind, leaving it at a standstill.

A few feet away Miyabi sweetdropped, while Naruto looked on with a blank expression.

"I asked her to come and try to talk some sense into him, not try to get in between him and Hima…" Miyabi finally spoke.

"Why do I have a feeling that Hima may very well have to come to accept that old law we spoke about not too long ago…" said Naruto.

Just then a gust of wind from behind causes them to turn from Yuki. Ko stood there with an angry look on her face, and it was directed to Miyabi.

"This makes twice you've torn my squad apart!" she said stomping her left foot. "Damn you Miyabi!" she yelled.

"Ko, that's enough." Sasuke said, basically emotionless.

Miyabi knew if there was one person in the village that Ko was going to listen to other then Naruto it was Sasuke. SO it came to no surprise when she stiffened up and dropped the angry look.

"S-sorry sensei." She said, but then she raised her hand and pointed a finger at Miybai. "You just bring that gaki back here, do you know how much shit I'm going to have to deal with when you're gone? And don't act like I didn't see what Mai just did to the stone statue over there!" she yelled referring to Yuki, who still hadn't moved from the spot he stood before Mai.

Miyabi giggled a little as she turned and saw Yuki, "Don't worry Ko, you won't lose the little gaki from your squad." Then a thought came to mind, and she turns to Naruto. "She will be provided with a replacement until we return, right?"

Naruto nods. "Yea, Ko's squad will still be combat effective once Hima is healed and released for normal ops again. So I will have to provide then with another able body for missions and….well, whatever else." He looks up into the sky at the position of the sun, "Well, you guys should get going, don't want to prolong your return longer then you need to do you?"

"He's right, the longer we sit here getting all emotional the longer we will be gone…not to mention that much harder for us to be away…" Sasuke followed up Naruto.

Miyabi sighed, she turned and went over to Yuki and grabbed onto his shoulder. Snapping a few times infront of his face she manages to get him to come to just a little for her to guide him over to the others so that they can get read to depart, though he still was half out of it.

Naruto turns to Sasuke and extends his right hand. "Well, if anything comes up that you can't handle, you know just how to get into contact with me."

Sasuke smirked and takes Naruto's hand in his for a handshake, "Like there's ever going to be something I can't handle alone."

Naruto grins, "Well, that little side project you had planned better go through, I want results.."

Sasuke smiled now, "Don't doubt me one bit."

After a few moments Sasuke slings the backpack that was at his feet over his shoulder. Looking around he notices that Ko and Miyabi have each other in an embrace now.

"You take care of yourself Ko." Said Miyabi, trying hard to fight back a tear.

"You too, Miyabi…I'm sure Yuki will do his best to make sure nothing happens to you either." Says Ko, tears flowing unlike Miyabi.

Sasuke rolls his eyes which earns him a snicker from Naruto. He was beginning to take the first few steps of a long journey when a familiar presence causes him to freeze in place and turn around, fearful for what he would probably receive.

A pink blur closes the distance from the gate to him, and to everyones surprise, Sakura is now holding Sasuke up in the air with one arm by his collar, glaring at him.

"Planning on going somewhere?" she growled. Even Naruto was starting to back away now with his hands up infront of him.

Sasuke was now fearing for his life, the confidence he had just a few seconds ago was now cowering in the deepest parts of his soul. "Uhh…hi honey. I was….just going on a mission for…"

She draws her free hand back and releases it. Everyone was now watching, and when they saw this they were expecting Sasuke to be hit so hard that his skeletal system leaves his skin…or worse, if there was anything worse.

To their surprise she held her fist to the side of his face. "I know where you're going jerk! You were gonna leave Naruto to tell me you were gone, which would have made me worry worse! How do you think I would have felt knowing you up and left without saying goodbye to me or our daughter….AGAIN"

Sasuke was visibly shaking now." I-i-I" He lifted his arm and pointed at Naruto. "IT WAS HIS IDEA!"

Naruto's eyes went as wide as dinner plates now, "You sellout!"

Sakura's face darkened just a bit, she slowly lowered Sasuke to the ground before she turned her attention to the quickly retreating Naruto.

"Naruto…" she ground out, cracking her knuckles as she began to make her way to Naruto.

It took them nearly twenty minutes to finally get Sakura to calm down and finally get on their way. Yuki was still a bit in shock from what Mai had done, and Miyabi was trying to get as far away from Sakura as she could, so was Sasuke.

The three walked down the path until they were just a dot on the horizon, then they vanished.

Sakura sighed as she turned to Naruto, "Just what kind of mission did you give him?"

Naruto sighed and turned to face her. "I'm sending Miyabi and Yuki with Sasuke on an extended training mission. Sasuke is going to train Yuki any way he see's fit, and Miyabi Is going to help. Not to mention there is a little side mission I gave Sasuke…"

 _Side mission?_ She repeated in her head. "Ok, I don't want to know any more…just how long will they be gone…" she didn't even want to hear what he was going to say, because she knew what she was going to do.

"3 Years max…"

He hadn't had time to finish what he was going to say before Sakura punched him right between his eyes sending him flying backwards.

Ko watches with wide eyes as Sakura walks past her growling. Her killing intent off the charts. A few seconds later she walks over to Naruto to make sure that the village doesn't need to start looking for another Hokage, and thankfully they don't.

"…I may have miscalculated…." He mumbles, trying to regain control of himself.

Ko can't help but laugh and hold a hand out. "Come on Hokage-sama, let get you up and go get you checked out."

 **That night- Konoha Hospital**

The beeping was beginning to echo through her mind, she could feel the pinch of a needle in her arm, and for the life of her she had never felt a headache this bad before. From what little brain activity she had right now she could tell she was in the hospital, and barely remember how she was put here.

That bastard really did a number on her, she knew she had a long way to go from all the pain she was feeling right now, plus the fact she knew that she was probably being pumped full of pain meds, that was going to make it that much worse when they start to ween her off of them.

Then she remembers the reason behind her receiving the injuries she did, and a simple thought floods her mind. _YUKI!_ She screams out in her mind.

All of her senses flood back at once, her eye's pop open and she lifts up in the bed, ignoring the pain she was feeling. She needed to know if Yuki was ok, nothing mattered right now.

"Hima!" she heard a familiar voice call out, then felt someone next to her. Though she was still trying to get her eyes to adjust to the light, she knew it was her mothing standing next to her, trying her hardest to get Hima to lay back down.

"Hima you need to lay down, you are in no shape to be moving right now!" Hinata was almost begging her daughter to lie back down.

"Yuki…." Hima croaked. "Where's….Yuki!"

Hinata stopped for a moment and gave her daughter a worried look. Hima knew something bad had happened, "Honey, Yuki is okay…but.."

"But what…mother?" she managed to say, her voice was starting to come back to her now. "I want to see him! He needs to be here with me…"

Hima pauses when she sees a tear roll down her mother's cheek. Suddenly Hinata embraces her daughter, careful not to cause her any pain.

"Oh honey, I'm afraid that Yuki isn't in the village anymore…Your father sent him and his sister away for an extended mission…"

Hima felt her heart starting to tear. "He…he what?"

"Your father sent him on a mission Hima. Yuki won't be back for some time I'm afraid." Hinata says as she release her daughter. Eyeing her daughter, she knew Hima was feeling heart broken right now after hearing that, not only that but Naruto was in for a world of hurt when he finally showed up to see her.

Hima could feel it then, her heart fell in two. The pain in her chest now overweighed the rest of her injuries. All that she could envision was Yuki walking away from her, leaving her a crying wreck.

Hima fell backwards in the bed, taking a pillow from under her and covering her face with it, crying her eyes out now, she didn't care if anyone saw or heard her. The man she loved walked away from her, had he put up a fight to stay? _NO!_ she screamed internally.

 _If he put up a fight the asshole would be here at my side now!_ She screamed again inside her head.

"Hima…" Hinata sobbed, placing a hand on Himas arm, but it ended up getting swatted away.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hima screamed at the top of her lungs. "Just leave me alone mom! I don't want to talk right now, and I don't want to see dad ever again! He's just caused me the worst pain anyone could ever inflict on me!"

"Please Hima…" Hinata continued.

Hima throws the pillow off of her and tries to call fourth the Kyuubi's chakra but is unsuccessful, no matter how hard she tries she just can't reach deep enough to call it fourth. Instead she just glares at her mother. "I'm heartbroken right now…..please….leave…me…ALONE!" she ground out.

Hinata could tell Hima was in no mood to talk, so instead of pushing her daughter any further, she shyly nodded, stood and left the room.

Though she didn't go far, she stood beside the door, tears begin to roll down her face as she hears her daughter in the room crying, begging, pleading that what she had just heard her mother say was a lie, that it was just a cruel joke.

"YUKI!" Hima screams from inside the room.

These three years were going to the longest years Hinata ever had to endure, she knew it.


End file.
